The Void Swordman
by LordHellPhoenix
Summary: The tale of the Elemental Swordsman has come to an end and many are still reeling from it. But with those responsible for the Fall of Beacon still at large and a new threat on the horizon, it maybe time for a new legend to begin. Will this new Swordsman be able to save Remnant? Only one way to find out. When one legend ends, another begins. (Coverart by Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh)
1. Another Begins

Its been about a year and a half since the Fall of Beacon was stopped and things have changed. Vale and Beacon were repaired towards then end of the one-year anniversary thanks to help from the other Kingdoms. New protocols and defenses were added to try to ensure that something like that would never happen again. Although, the Kingdoms were still weary of each other, all unsure if they truly could have peace between them after what had recently occurred. With Vale still trying to get back on its feet, Atlas was slowly trying to close their borders to be safe, Mistral was having difficulty controlling the Grimm and not losing ground. While Vacuo was still being Vacuo. The Councils of all the Kingdoms settled that what happened to Beacon was an isolated incident caused by a group of dangerous people, rather then to point fingers and potentially cause another Great War. The smartest thing they'd done in a long time. The White Fang took most of the blame for the attack, but Adam and his branch had been laying low since the attack and White Fang attacks in general had lowered over the last year or so.

Aside from that, Beacon had reopened its doors to its students and they were about to wrap up their first semester since then. A lot of students submitted applications when they did open back up. They either wanted to make sure something like the Fall never happened again or just attend the school as the Elemental Swordsman. It was released to the public by the Council that Jaune Arc had a good hand in stopping the terrorist attack, as a way to keep up hope. They even went as far as to try and leave a statue of him in one of the Kingdoms many parks. But that was shut down by Ozpin and the Arc family. They all knew Jaune hated the spot light, they knew even in death he would prefer his privacy as much as he could. The Arcs took a heavy hit when Jaune's death was confirmed and when they saw his message to them on his scroll. They all had ways of dealing with the pain, either by throwing themselves into their work or studies. Although, Marron had convinced herself that there was no way her Big Brother was gone. Most days she would wait in the living room for him to come through the door. Sadly, he never did and that just made the young girl cry silently to herself as her mother held her close.

The others took it hard as well, especially Team RWBY and the remainder of JNPR. They all came to terms with his death and decided to honor his memory by doing what he asked of them with his message. They all stayed in Vale to help as much as they could and even stop Grimm from reentering some of the destroyed areas of the Kingdoms. All of that was counted as their Second year at Beacon which allowed them all to start their third year of their training. They all honed their skills further and even started to learn how to wield the swords he left to them, to further honor him. Ruby even went as far as to modify them to help fit their fighting styles a bit more and all agreed that Ruby would be the one to do maintenance on them, since she knew the most about them from all her time questioning Jaune on them.

Ruby Rose threw herself into mastering her boyfriend's sword to starve off the pain. She took her role as leader more serious than before. She made it her job to make sure that everyone that went on a mission with her came back. She also became the impromptu leader of NPR which they accepted with no issue, she was not about to let Jaune's team fall apart on her watch.

Weiss Schnee started doing everything in her power to improve herself, not just as a Huntress but as a person. He father kept trying to bring her back to Atlas but continued to fail. He cut her off completely but that didn't matter to her. She didn't need his money. Her team was there for her and she was going to make Jaune proud of her by honoring her family name as a Huntress.

Blake Belladonna stopped hiding who she was. She stopped caring what everyone thought of her. She would show everyone the true strength of the Faunus and not the evil the White Fang was sowing. She would even stand up for any Faunus that couldn't do it themselves. She would fight for them, just as Jaune had.

Yang Xiao Long started to keep her anger in check and stopped relying on her Semblance as much. Her run in with Adam showed her that it wouldn't always save her, the scar on her arm was a reminder of that. She also took on the role as a protector for their group. She would be damned to lose someone else she cared for.

Pyrrha Nikos became more focused on her training, to the point where she almost closed herself off from everyone around her. Jaune's death left a void in her life that threatened to pull her into an abyss of darkness. It took an intervention from her team and RWBY to snap her out of that funk and slowly she was able to be who they remembered her to be.

Nora Valkyries and Lie Ren finally got together after the death of their honorary brother. They each helped the other keep from drowning in the negativity that threatened to consume them, which helped them to support everyone around them and help them in their time of depression. It was because of them that the Arc family just didn't implode in on themselves.

The two teams were rising stars in Beacon. They were the top team of the third years and every student wanted to learn from them and a few of the guys wanted to date them. Although, they were out of luck. None of them could open themselves up to another person the way they did with Jaune. Even after all this time, they knew they had loved him more than anything and they couldn't even imagine being with anyone besides him. They all knew that he'd want them to move on and to love again but that was the one thing they couldn't do.

That brings us to today. Ozpin had just called RWBY to his office for a mission. The four Huntresses were riding up in the elevator with some light conversation, each one with their weapon and sword. Yang followed her partner's example and had Kakiri across her back, so she could reach it right handed. Blake had placed Fukiri on her belt on her right side, so she could grab it left handed and it wouldn't get in the way if she had to dual wield with Gambol Shroud. Weiss had Suikiri on her left side, opposite of Myrtenaster, having it across her back was distracting to her but she'd never admit it to her teammates. Ruby decided to go with Yang's idea, if she had Raikiri on her belt it would get in the way of Crescent Rose, so it was across her back and under her cloak. But she had it over her left shoulder.

Eventually, the doors opened to reveal the Headmaster's Office, exactly the way it was before the Fall. Ozpin was sitting behind his desk on a call with someone. "Look, Rien, I understand your stance on this but there is no other way. I need you to trust me." Ozpin was saying to whoever was on the other end of the call. The girls all heard the other person sigh and say something before the call was ended. Ozpin looked from his desk to the Team in front of him. "Ah, Team RWBY, thank you for coming."

"What do you need from us, Professor?" Ruby asked with a respectful tone.

"I have a mission for your team. Although, it is highly dangerous. Honestly, I would be sending Team CFVY, but they are already away on mission along with JNPR." Ozpin informed them.

"Well, its not like we haven't handled missions that were outside the norm for most students." Yang answered cockily.

"Well, this one is a bit…different, Miss Xiao Long." Ozpin said as he typed away on his desk. Soon a map of Remnant appeared on the screen. A red mark was glowing on the map. "There is a Huntsman on a mission for me in the badlands between Vale and Vacuo's territories. He is investigating an anomaly with the Grimm there and he has information that he wants me to see."

"Why wouldn't he just send the data to you, sir?" Blake asked, her curiosity intrigued.

"The files are too big to be sent without the aid of the CCTs and the information is highly classified, so he wishes to deliver them himself or to someone trustworthy to deliver them directly to me. Our usual in-between is on another mission and we have no way of locating him since he is so far from the CCTs." Ozpin explained.

"So, our mission is to travel out there to either get the documents or escort him back to Beacon, sir?" Weiss asked.

Ozpin nodded, "That is correct. Although, I would prefer if you could convince him to come back with you." They all looked confused. "For whatever reason, he has been refusing to come back to the Kingdoms. He says that its because the matter out there is too severe to leave alone but I can tell that he isn't telling the complete truth. He very well maybe out there to get himself killed and I would prefer for him to not get his way. I have a responsibility to watch out for him."

The four women looked between each other, they were curious but knew that this was something that Ozpin didn't want to elaborate on. Ruby turned back to their Headmaster, "We accept the mission." She said cheerfully.

Ozpin gave them a small smile, "Thank you, Miss Rose. I already had your bullhead fueled so you can leave whenever you're ready. I'll also send you his most likely location." They nodded and left to gather their supplies. They were in the air about an hour later. Ironwood had given Team RWBY their own Bullhead after their actions during the Fall. They were surprised by that and even more so when it turned out to be the latest Bullhead model, a Mark II Quicksilver. A few hours later and they were at their drop off point. They all jumped out and told the pilot they would send him a signal when they were ready to leave.

The four members of RWBY were standing in front of a massive forest, nearly as huge as the Emerald Forest. They could all feel an ominous feeling coming from the forest, something was definitely off with this place. "Well, we better get going." Ruby pulled them from their thoughts as she started to walk into the forest. Her team followed right after.

The location that Ozpin gave them was located towards the center of the massive woodland, so it took them a few hours to reach the destination. The whole way, they were on guard. But the weirdest thing was that there were no Grimm. Not a single one. That set off alarms with all four of them. Was the anomaly the lack of Grimm here or was something else going on that had the Grimm going somewhere else? They eventually came to a small clearing, it was probably only twenty by twenty feet, but it had clear signs of someone camping out there. There was a small fire pit near the center and many of the trees had cuts in them, although all the signs were old, probably a few weeks or a month.

They all met up in the middle of the clearing, "Great. What now?" Yang asked annoyed.

"We might be able to track him." Ruby suggested. "Blake?" she asked their Faunus teammate.

She just shook her head, "No one's been here for a while. The trail would be cold, even for a Faunus."

"Well, we can't search this entire forest." Weiss added. "It would take weeks and we don't have near enough supplies for that."

As they were discussing what they should do next, they heard growling around them. They all turned to see red eyes glowing from between the trees. They all spun and were back to back as they deployed their primary weapons. That's when the dozen or so Beowolves started to walk into the clearing. The team was about to charge at them when something black landed in front of Ruby, causing her to flinch. Weiss and Blake turned their heads slightly to see what had happened but still had their attention on the Grimm surrounding them. Yang just kept her ears open since turning around would be too risky.

That's when the black mass stood up and turned to the Huntresses. It was a tall figure dressed in a black pants and a long sleeve shirt that hugged his form. They knew it was a man by the build of his body. He also had black boots and gloves. He two belts crisscrossed at his waist, each with multiple pouches on them. He had dark grey armor sown into his clothing for extra protection; vambracers, pauldrons, greaves and cuisses. He also had a small chest plate over his shirt that only covered his chest. A long black cloak that was torn and ragged at the bottom covered him and the hood covered his head completely. The thing that stood out the most was the mask that covered his face. It was steel grey and made from metal. It looked similar to a hockey mask due to it covering his entire face. The place where his mouth would be, was a lighter shade and had two horizontal lines cut into it. The most unnerving was the eyeholes were covered by green lenses that glowed slightly. His whole look was intimidating. " **I got this.** " He said with a voice that was clearing being distorted by his mask.

Before any of them could respond, he reached behind himself and beneath the cloak to pull a completely black broadsword with no features or designs to it. He spun and effortlessly cut the head off the Beowolf that tried to attack him. Before it hit the ground, he shot off with his aura and cleaved through two more Beowolves. The rest of the pack ignored the Huntresses-in-training to attack the Huntsman. Three Beowolves charged simultaneously, he just stabbed the one on his right with his sword. As the middle one pounced, he punched it in the chest with his left fist, that immediately had its chest and back explode. The last Beowolf managed to get behind him with that. The man just pulled his sword free and spun it into a reverse grip to stab behind him. He impaled it through the chest as it was about to bite into his neck. The three Grimm fell, and he charged at the last six. He pulled his blade over his left shoulder and twisted the handle slightly and the blade narrowed but extended to three times its original length. He swung and cleaved the remainder of the pack. He raised his sword and the blade returned to normal as he sheathed it under his cloak once again.

He turned to face the stunned students and began to walk towards them. They were all stunned silent until Blake heard something from the trees behind him, "Look out!" she shouted.

As she did, an Alpha burst from the trees in his blind spot. As it was going for a swipe, he dropped to the ground and used his arms to push himself to drive both his legs into its chest. As it was pushed back, he flipped back to his feet and drew two black, featureless daggers from his bracers. He held them in reverse grips as he started to slice into the Alpha mercilessly. The Alpha regained some momentum and went for another swipe, but he brought his arm up to stop it, they all saw his dark purple aura shimmer from the attack. That's when he drove his daggers into his chest and throat before slashing in two separate directions. The Alpha gave one last cry before it fell backwards and started to dissolve. He placed the daggers back into his bracers and turned back to the Huntresses. " **Well, that took care of them. Thanks for the heads up.** " He said simply.

Ruby was pulled from her thoughts with that, "That was awesome! Where'd you learn to do all that!?"

The Huntsman just shrugged, " **You learn a thing or two out here. Or you die.** " He then looked at each of them up and down. The girls felt like he was appraising them in some way. " **So, you're the Team that Oz sent.** "

Ruby nodded, "Yes we are. We're- "

" **Team RWBY, top third year team at Beacon. Consisting of Ruby Rose as leader, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long.** " He replied easily.

They were all stunned by that, "How do you know that?" Blake questioned, unnerved by how much he knew.

" **Oz sent me your files. That way I'd know who I was looking for and if they would need help upon arrival.** " He replied nonchalantly as he walked towards a big tree near the edge of the clearing to their right.

That annoyed the blonde brawler, "We had that covered. Few Grimm aren't that bad."

He just looked at her before he turned his attention to the tree again, " **Never said you couldn't handle yourselves, Oz wouldn't've sent you otherwise. But the Grimm out here can be tricky to deal with. Luckily for you, this part of the forest has been low on Grimm and since I knew you all were heading here, I decided to just meet up with you here**."

"Wait, how'd you know we were coming here?" Weiss asked.

He didn't answer. Just reached out to the tree and slowly pulled out a metallic device from the tree. It had a black glass-like ball at the top that was the size of a marble, while a half inch long metal spike extended down from it. He showed it to the Huntresses, " **I have motion detectors all over this forest and cameras in hot spots. The data is sent to my scroll and then to my mask, where I can then analyze it easily.** " He placed the camera in one of the pouches, " **I have eyes and ears everywhere here. Besides, this was the last location Oz had for me, so where else would he send you four?** "

"Wait." Ruby said with confusion, "I how do you power all of that and get a good enough signal for it to work?"

He chuckled slightly, " **Sorry. Trade secret.** " She pouted with that and they heard him sigh after a second or two, " **I can only say I know a guy with a lot of cutting edge tech. But that's all I'm saying.** "

They were quiet for a while as he walked towards them, "Not to be rude but who exactly are you?" Weiss asked.

He stopped at her question, " **Right, got a little side tracked.** " He placed his hand on his chest and bowed slightly, " **I'm known as Rien. Nice to meet you all.** " They all said hello or something similar. " **Now, Ruby, if you could take out your scroll, that way I can transfer the files to you.** " Rien said as he pulled his scroll from his belt.

"Actually, Mr. Rien." She started nervously, "Professor Ozpin wanted you to deliver the files to him directly."

Rien just looked at her for a second before he shook his head with a sigh, " **Of course he did. Well, hate to break it to you but that's impossible.** " He turned from, them to deeper into the forest. " **The Grimm here are a problem and if they are left unchecked, they could shake all of Remnant.** " He said seriously.

"What's so different about the Grimm here?" Yang asked.

" **Classified.** " He said simply. He then checked the time on his scroll. " **Damn. It'll be dark soon. Better get you four out of here before then. We don't have enough time to escort you back to your drop off, so we'll have to go further into the forest. There's a box canyon not too far from here, that should be a good spot to call your Bullhead. As long as they haven't moved there yet.** " The last part was said almost inaudibly but Blake heard it. " **Come on. Can't have you four dying out here.** " Was the last thing he said as he started to walk away from the clearing. The four looked at each other before they followed.

They traveled quietly for the next few minutes before Yang became bored, "How much farther is this place?"

" **Twenty minutes or so.** " He said and that caused her to groan. Rien chuckled slightly and it sounded…familiar to her but couldn't place it. " **To pass the time, how about we ask a few questions to each other? You know, get to know each other better.** "

"Oh, I'll start." Ruby said. "Did you make your weapons and what else can they do?"

" **Yes, I did and not much. They are just simple weaponry with no mecha shifting properties.** " He said simply.

"How long have you been out here for?" Weiss asked as she looked around their surroundings.

" **Hmmmm, probably close to six months now. Maybe more, hard to keep track after the first month.** " He answered.

"Don't you get lonely?" Blake asked next.

" **A little but honestly, its best for me to stay away from people. My Semblance can be a bit dangerous.** " He said barely elaborating.

"What's with the mask?" Yang asked bluntly.

" **Besides letting me view my cameras easier, it helps protect my face. Plus, I prefer if people don't see what's under here.** " He said as he tapped the mask with his knuckles. " **And no, I'm not gonna say why. Very personal.** " They walked for a few more minutes as the girls asked him a few more mundane questions and he answered them. That changed when the lenses of his mask lit up. He stopped and started to scan through the information he was receiving. " **Damn it, no!** "

The girls flinched from his outburst. "What's wrong?" Ruby asked.

" **Gotta get there quick.** " He said mostly to himself. " **Time to pick up the pace.** " He told them as he started to use his aura to increase his speed. Team RWBY quickly did the same to keep up with him. They managed to get to the edge of the box canyon in about five minutes, with the students out of breath as Rien observed the scene below.

The girls looked down and gasped at what they saw. Dozens if not a hundred or so Grimm were all gathered in the canyon. Beowolves, Ursai, Boarbatusks and Creeps were all gathered and looked like they were fighting with each other. While Nevermore and Griffons were flying above the massive herd and diving down every so often or fought each to her in the air. They could also see a Death Stalker and King Taijitu also in the fray. The girls were stunned, they hadn't seen this many Grimm in one location before. They were pulled from their thoughts when Rien spoke out loud, " **I was hoping they wouldn't gather here so quickly. Looks like I was wrong.** "

"Does this happen a lot!?" Weiss asked, shocked.

Rien just nodded as he spoke to himself, " **With this many Grimm, it'll definitely come, and it'll be powerful.** " He said worried.

"What will come?" Blake asked, not liking the tone he was using.

Rien turned back to them, " **The mission has changed.** " He said seriously. " **Those Grimm cannot be allowed to finish what they have planned. I'm going to engage them and disrupt them. You four need to stay up here and out of the way.** "

They were appalled by this. No one more so than Yang. She grabbed him by the shoulder, "Hey. We don't need you to save us from Grimm. We were sent here to bring you back and we aren't about to let you get killed."

Rien didn't even turn to look at her. " **You misunderstand. I'm not trying to protect you from the Grimm.** " That's when his dark purple aura came to the surface and pushed them back a bit. " **I'm protecting you from me. I can't afford to hold back in this situation and I don't need you getting in the crossfire.** "

He threw his arms to the side and as he did, his aura condensed into his palms. That's when two softball sized black orbs were formed. The girls were shocked but couldn't say a word as he threw his hands forward and the two orbs were fired off like bullets. The orbs tore through several of the aerial Grimm before he pulled his arms back and the orbs redirected themselves to fly back towards the other aerial Grimm. Rien than opened right his hand once again and another orb was formed before he squeezed it. It quickly shifted into a black featureless short sword. That's when he used his aura to leap into the air and directly into the Grimm several storied below them.

The girls were staring as he started to cut through some of the lower level Grimm. "That wasn't what I think it was, right?" Yang asked unsure of what she was seeing.

Blake just nodded dumbly, "No, it is. It gives off the exact feeling as it."

"But that's impossible." Weiss said trying to regain her senses. "Only one person had that power. And he is…" she trailed off.

Ruby just kept staring down there. "Maybe not. If Jaune was the only one to have that power than how did Rien get the ability to use Void?"

Rien was using his Void sword to cut through any and all Grimm that got close to him. His eyes would flick up to the sky to see his Void orbs before mentally sending them towards more Grimm. During one of those instances, an Ursa Major was on him and tried to crush him with its paw. Rien raised his left arm and another Void orb formed at his forearm before it flattened into a two-foot diameter disk that acted as a shield. The Ursa was stopped which let him stab it in the chest, killing it.

He looked around to see that the surrounding Grimm were getting too close for comfort. He quickly threw his arm to the side and the Void disk flew from his arm to act as a buzz saw, tearing through all the surrounding Grimm as it revolved five feet around him. Rien looked up to see that the aerial Grimm were dealt with. He raised his sword and the two orbs made a beeline directly towards it. The first orb met the sword and was absorbed into it, shifting it into the broadsword from before. The second orb acted exactly like the first and the sword shifted into a longsword. The disk started to fly back towards him, so he reached out with his left hand and it shifted back into an orb as he grabbed it. He then shot off towards the Creep in front of him. He slammed the orb into the beast's chest and shot the orb off along with the Creep. The Grimm slammed through many of its kin before the King Taijitu roared at Rien and he shifted its trajectory to have the Grimm get caught in its throat. The Grimm was confused until the orb expanded, destroying the black half of the King Taijitu and many of the surrounding Grimm before it imploded.

Rien stopped to regain his breath as he looked around. " **Okay, fifty or so Grimm left, including half a Taijitu and a Death Stalker. If I keep my head, I should be fine.** " That's when her heard several different shots fly through the air and some of the Grimm captured in ice. He turned to see Team RWBY land behind him, " **What the hell do you think you're doing?!** "

"Giving you a hand." Yang stated as she got back into her stance. "Keeping you alive is part of our job and we have some questions for you."

Before he could argue, they all heard an ear-splitting screech. They all turned in shock to see the remaining half of the King Taijitu biting into the carapace of the Death Stalker as it flailed around helplessly. The girls stared in horror, "What's it doing?" Blake asked in fear.

" **We're too late.** " Rien said before the Death Stalker died and dissolved into smoke. The smoke started to gather around the Taijitu along with all the smoke of the already dead Grimm. The smoke clad Grimm then started to tear through the remaining fifty or so Grimm, their smoke adding to the mass. When that was done, the Taijitu gave one final hiss as it stopped, and it shifted into smoke as well. The smoke didn't dissipate though, it kept shifting and condensing and as it kept doing that, a dark red glow started to come from it. The black smoke condensed one last time before a flash of dark red erupted from it, pushing the five fighters back.

When they looked back, the girls were terrified. Standing there was another Grimm. It was as massive as the Grimm Dragon from the Fall and looked almost identical to it. Except, it didn't have wings and was on all fours, along with a more serpentine neck. It had bone armor around its forelegs, chest and from the tip of its massive tail all the way up its back to its head. Bone spikes stuck out across its spine. Each foot ended in five massive claws. The mask had two massive spikes coming off above the eyes and stretched backwards. Its eyes glowed a deep red like the markings across its body. It opened its maw to reveal many sharp teeth before it roared loudly. That pulled them from their stupors as they shook slightly. Except Rien. He just stared at it a she gripped his sword tighter, " **The Drake.** "

They all turned to him as they saw his aura shift to the surface again and for his longsword to grow into a greatsword. He quickly shot into the air with both hands on his sword. He was intent on trying to capitalize on it just being formed to take it by surprise. That's when he saw the markings on its chest glow a deeper red and for it to spread up the markings of its neck to its mouth. It opened its maw once again to show a massive amount of red energy gathering there. He had seen this tactic before and knew he could dodge the attack and kill it. But that was when his eyes widened behind his mask, and he looked at the path of the attack would take: directly at RWBY. He looked back to the Grimm in time for it to fire the massive red laser. He pulled his blade in front of him and let it go for it to shift into a massive eight-foot diameter shield. But the shield was being pushed back by the force of the attack. Rien put his body behind it to stop it from gaining. Cracks started to form around the edges of his impromptu shield and just as he thought it would break, the attack stopped. He relaxed for a second before the tail of the beast smashed the shield and into him. That sent him flying into the wall of the canyon with a large amount of stone and dirt flying as his Void shifted out of existence.

The team of students turned from the canyon wall back to the Grimm. They all knew they couldn't just let this thing run free. They all fired everything they had at it. But sadly, their ammo didn't even penetrate the beast's flesh and the ice that formed on it from Weiss just shattered shortly after. The beast just tuned to them as it raised its claw into the air. "Move!" Ruby shouted. They all ran and dove out of the way just in time, but the force still sent them all tumbling. They got back to their feet and Ruby issued her orders: "Weiss, we need the big guns, Yang cover her!" the girls nodded as she turned to her last teammate. "Blake, you and I will run distraction." The Faunus nodded and the two took off at the Grimm.

Ruby was using her Semblance to move around the Grimm and fired her lightning dust rounds at it. That annoyed it, but it couldn't attack her due to her speed. Blake was meanwhile flipping around its legs and chest with the help of Gambol Shroud's kusarigama form. She would slash at it with her blades or use a fire dust enhanced Shadow to leave an explosion. Again, the Drake couldn't deal with the two Huntresses. It looked to see the two remaining humans and that one was near a giant white circle. It sent its massive tail at the two. Yang jumped in front of it to try and hold it back, but she was slowly losing ground. She had no chose but to use her Semblance, her hair stated to shine as her eyes turned red, and with that the tail stopped a few feet away from Weiss. "Weiss!?" she asked.

"Done." She replied as her Arma Gigas was summoned from her Glyph with its sword in hand. It wasn't the same size as the Drake, but it would back a punch. It ran forward as Ruby and Blake got clear and fired a few last shots at it. The summoned Grimm started to slash at the Drake leaving deep cuts into the chest plate. It roared in anger before it slammed its claw on top of the knight. It raised its sword above its head to stop it but was still forced to its knees. The claw lifted slightly for the Drake to capture it in its jaws. It raised it into the air before it crunched down and shattered it. Weiss was just looking up in shock, her strongest summon was taken down easily.

Ruby and Blake landed on their feet, "Bumblebee!" the leader shouted. Blake tossed her weapon to her partner as the two started to spin her faster and faster. Blake threw her, and Yang put all her power behind her punch as she kept firing to make herself fly faster. She landed a hit strong enough to severely crack the bone armor on its chest. The beast roared in pain as Yang landed on the ground, completely exhausted. The beast turned its head down to the three Huntresses with nothing but anger.

It failed to notice that Weiss had placed a series of Glyphs up the canyon wall with Ruby running up them. The last Glyph turned black to hold her in place as she loaded a gravity dust clip. The Glyph shot her off toward it as her speed was amplified further from her Semblance and the shots from Crescent Rose. When she was close enough, she shifted it into its war scythe form and stabbed into the severely cracked bone to stab into the Grimm. The Grimm stilled and gave a roar of pain once again. They believed that they did it until it started to thrash around violently.

Ruby was thrown from the Grimm and she was sent tumbling away from her team. As she stopped she laid there as her nearly broken aura tried to dull the pain her body was feeling. She slowly rose to her knees and saw she was probably forty to fifty feet away from the Grimm. The Grimm was charging up the same attack as before but aimed specifically at her. It stared her down with pure hatred as it fired. "Ruby!" she heard her sister yell as she tried to run to her. Ruby knew she couldn't move in time, so she just closed her eyes as tears slowly fell, 'Sorry Dad, Uncle Qrow and Yang, I couldn't do it. I'll see you soon Mom. Jaune…'

She then felt someone pull her to their chest and the light she was expecting to consume her, never came. She opened her eyes to see that Rien was knelt in front of her and pulled her to his chest as he held her close. He had the same Void shield behind him, stopping the laser. Ruby suddenly had a flashback to when Jaune did the same thing to protect her from the Nevermore back during the Fall. Why was she thinking about that now?

Rien looked over his shoulder to see his shield cracking and he growled slightly, the shield was the last of the Void he could create right now, " **Come on. Hold, damn it.** " A few seconds passed, and the energy attack stopped. She leant over to see that it was charging for the exact same attack. " **Now.** " As he said that, the shield shifted into a giant Void spike and fired off directly at the Drake. It stabbed it into the bone covered chest. It wasn't enough to kill it but the energy it was charging was discharged in random directions from the entry point as it roared in pain. Rien turned back to Ruby and looked at her for a few seconds, " **Forgive me.** "

She didn't know what he meant by that until she heard the familiar sound of a sword being drawn. She looked to see that he was now wielding Raikiri. Before she could protest, he had taken off at an extreme speed with his aura. He cleared the distance between them and the Drake in seconds before he jumped into the air and onto its back. He used all his strength to impale the short sword through the armor plating and into its back. He managed to penetrate it and as he did that, he pulled the trigger and release all the lighting dust into the Grimm. The beast stopped moving, possibly paralyzed. Rien pulled the sword free and leapt into the air again with his aura, as he was above the Drake's head, he reangled his body and used his aura to shoot himself toward the head. He surrounded the blade in the remainder of his aura, the blade glowing a dark purple, as he started to spin. He aimed the blade for the base of the creature's skull and with the speed and aura behind his swing, he sliced the head clean off. Rien started to fall to the ground as the Drake slowly started to dissolve into smoke.

He turned back to the ground and used his aura to soften his fall but still left a decent size crater. As the dust cleared, he was knelt down and trying to regain his breath. He slowly stood and looked down at the blade in his hands. He heard footsteps coming closer and looked to see Team RWBY standing there in shock. He looked at them and walked towards Ruby and as he was standing in front of her, he held the sword out to her in both his hands. " **I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't've used this without asking first, but I was desperate**." Ruby took back her sword and sheathed it.

They all looked at him and were about to ask him several questions before they heard him have a severe coughing fit. He was gripping his chest with his right hand as his left tapped on his mask. The lighter piece was his mouth was opened and he doubled over and he coughed up an alarming amount of blood. He kept coughing and trying to regain his breath, "Damn it, pushed myself too far." He said quietly and hoarsely. No one heard him besides Blake and her eyes widened. That's when he collapsed to the ground.

RWBY immediately knelt beside him and rolled him to his back, his breathing was choppy at best. Weiss took his scroll and saw his aura was very low. Blake started to transfer some of her aura to him, since she had the most after the battle. They all stared down at the still masked man, all thinking the same thing. "I just can't be." Weiss said out loud. "Can it?"

Yang shook her head, "I don't know. But how many people can use Void?"

"Plus, he used Raikiri like it was second nature." Ruby added. "Not many people can pick up a weapon and use it flawlessly like that. Besides, when he protected me, it made me think of Jaune." She added the last part quietly.

Blake pulled her hands away when his aura was stabilized and breathing was calm, "….his voice is similar." They all turned to her. "You didn't hear it but when his mouth piece was gone, his voice sounded a lot like his."

They were all sat down just looking at him until Yang reached for his mask. She was about to grab it when Weiss grabbed her wrist, "What are you doing?"

She just turned to the heiress, "Come on, we're all curious."

"That's not the point. He said what was behind his mask was personal. You taking it off without his permission would be like someone ripping off your shirt or someone ripping the bow off Blake's head when she used to wear it."

Yang looked away and pulled her hand away from him. "But, what if it is him?" Blake asked and the two just turned to her. They were all unsure on what to do. Ruby had said nothing during that conversation and was just staring down at the mask. She silently made a decision and started reaching bother hands out to his mask. Her teammates saw this but didn't say or do anything to stop her. Her fingers trailed around the edges of the mask until she felt small buttons near his ears. She pressed them, and the mask started to collapse and condense around the lenses, forming a pair of steel framed sunglasses. They could now see the pale skin of his face and Ruby put both hands on the sides of the glasses and slowly pulled them away. When they were off his face completely, they gasped. Laying there in front of them was there formally dead friend turned boyfriend. The love of their lives, Jaune Arc.

* * *

 **A/N- Its finally here! Man, I've missed typing this but I really needed that break. Now, I know I could've waited to reveal that Jaune was alive but come on, with the title it should've been clear. Now a few things to get out of the way. First, not all the chapters are going to be this long, this is just a longer one. Second, picture the characters as how they look in Vol. 5. Finally, if you need a reference for what his distorted voice sounds like, go look up Xionic Madness 4 part 3 and listen to the voice of the Mysterious Robot. That's close to what I'm imagining it as. With all that said, hope you all enjoyed and here's hoping this will be as good as the original!  
**


	2. The Reveal

It's strange to think how easily someone's world can flip. Take Team RWBY, they thought this would be a usual dangerous mission: kill some Grimm and get some files for Ozpin. Same old, same old. Instead, they had a front row seat to seeing a Huntsman show skill they never seen before and the creation of the most powerful Grimm they could lay their eyes on. And it all leading up to finding out that the Huntsman turned out to be their formerly dead boyfriend, Jaune Arc. To say they were stunned was an understatement.

Ruby was just stunned and was close to tears. Some miracle had occurred, her first and only love was alive. It all just made sense now, why he protected her so adamantly against the Grimm and how he was able to use Raikiri so masterfully. She was wondering how it was possible but that was overshadowed by the pure joy to finding out that he was alive and in front of her once again.

Yang was also stunned silent. She had her suspicions, but she never thought this would be possible. She was happy to find out that he was alive but that was slowly being pushed back by the annoyance and anger she was feeling. If he was alive, why hadn't he come back to Beacon, to them? He had a lot to explain and if she didn't like it, she may punch him. Who was she kidding, he was going to get hit regardless.

Weiss was just staring down at him, her mouth wide open. She was just overwhelmed. She was ashamed of this but since the day he died, she has never been able to utter his name. He was the one that broke her cold exterior and allowed her to feel what it was like to be truly loved. Even saying his name made her heart hurt in a way that she could never explain but she forced herself to accept the reality, that he was gone. But now, here he was, and her heart was filled with both pain and happiness in equal parts.

Blake's eye never left his face and her own was set in a stoic mask. But her ears were twitching like crazy, showing just how many different emotions, she was feeling at this moment. Being as well-read as she was, she was accustomed to sadder endings to many of her favorite stories. It was a natural part of life and she was exposed to that reality at an early age. But it seemed like reality was giving her and the others a pass because they just had a revelation you only ever saw in fairy tales. She smiled slightly and reached out her hand to gently caress his cheek. As soon as she felt his warmth, she let a few tears fall.

That's when Jaune's eyes shot open and they were all shocked. The normal blue eyes they loved to stare into were no longer there. His eyes were now a dark purple, any darker and they would be black. He pushed off the ground he was laying on with his hands and feet, pumping the little aura into them to shoot back several feet. He landed feet first then knelt to dig his left hand into the ground to slow himself down. His right hand was extended, ready to use whatever aura he had left to form Void if needed. When he stopped, he was breathing deeply and looking around frantically for the Grimm that had surrounded them before. As he realized they were all gone and remembered that he killed the Drake, he sighed in relief. His body relaxed, and he stood up.

He looked and saw that RWBY were all kneeling where he presumed he was laying before. He raised an eyebrow, "What happened?" he asked and went rigid as his own voice came out and not the distorted one. 'Is the mask malfunctioning?!" he panicked before he saw a pair of familiar sunglasses in Ruby's hands. His eyes widened before his hand shot up to his face. He just felt his face and his eyes widened further before he closed them and sighed in frustration. He lowered his head slightly as his hand never left his face, "Damn it."

He heard a few footsteps after that and he looked up slightly to see them a few steps closer to him and Ruby in the lead, "Jaune?" she asked shakily, and he flinched when he heard his name. "Is that really you?"

He sighed one last time before he moved his hand away from his face and to his hood. 'No point hiding now.' He thought a she pulled his hood off his head to reveal his slightly longer blonde hair. "Yeah. Its me, Ruby." He replied weakly.

It looked like Ruby was going to tackle him like she used to, and he was preparing himself for it. That's why he was shocked when a yellow blur beat her to the punch and a fist was lodged into his stomach. He groaned slightly and held the bruised area as Yang withdrew her fist. He looked into her red eyes as he spoke, "Damn, Yang, you certainly got stronger." RWB just looked on, stunned.

She grabbed him by his collar and pulled him close, "You've got some explaining to do, Jaune." She said with an edge to her voice.

He just looked into her eyes with a very calm and neutral expression, "And what would that be?"

"How about how you survived? Maybe where you've been? Or how about, why the hell you never came back to Beacon!?" she shouted the last part and the other members of her team winced slightly.

Jaune didn't react much at all, he just sighed. "That's all classified. And even if it wasn't, I wouldn't tell you anyways." He responded in that same neutral tone.

She gripped his shirt tighter, "And why not?! We have the right to know! Do you have any idea on what we went through after we thought you died!?" She lowered her head and was shaking now. "Every day just hurt. Knowing you were gone and you were never coming back. We were all at a lost. I had no idea on what to do after that." She sniffled before she looked up at his, tear gathering in her eyes but there was still anger in them. "Why didn't you ever come back? Why didn't you tell us you were okay? I thought we meant something to you? I thought you loved us?"

He looked to the side, "You're not making this easy." He said quietly before looking into her eyes again. "You don't want the answer to those questions."

"Yes, I do! So, tell me, damn it!" she shouted in frustration.

He closed his eyes for a second before he opened them, "I don't love you."

Yang's eyes widened, and her grip slackened slightly, her mouth hung open. "W-what?" she asked weakly, hoping she heard him wrong.

"I don't love you." He repeated before he looked past her to look at the rest of her team, "Any of you." They all took a step back, like they were hit. All of them were staring at him wide eyed. "I thought I did but the truth is, I didn't love you. Back then I was a broken man that just wanted to feel some kind of affection. To not be alone. I liked you all and was attracted to you, so I fooled myself into believing I was in love." Ruby was crying silently at this point while Weiss had the most hurt expression on her face. Blake was just unreadable. He looked back to Yang as tears were sliding down her cheeks. "But there's the truth. You all may've loved me, but it was just one-sided."

With that said, Yang's eyes hardened, and she pulled her fist back. She was going to hit him, and she was not going to hold back this time. She threw her fist, aiming for his face. Jaune didn't move, to defend or dodge. He just stood there. Her fist was a few inches from his face when someone grabbed her wrist and she stopped. Yang turned to see her partner looking into her eyes. The two had a silent conversation until Yang huffed and pushed Jaune back as she dropped her fist. She turned and walked back to her team. Blake then turned and looked him in the eyes, her expression still unreadable. The two just looked into each other's eyes for a while until Blake spoke up, "You're lying." She said evenly. Not accusing him but as if she was stating a fact.

Jaune just raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"You're lying." She repeated. "Not just to us but to yourself." He didn't say anything and RWY just looked on, confused. "So, what was your plan? To lie, to hurt us in a way that we would be more inclined to leave you here? To write you off and try to get us to move on? While you just stay here and get yourself killed. Was that what you wanted, Jaune?" she asked as her eyes just burrowed into his.

Jaune just looked into her eyes. He didn't move, and he still had the neutral expression on his face. The two stood like that for a full minute or so, until he closed his eyes and sighed tiredly. He opened his eyes and just looked at her. He gained a weak and sad smile with that, "You could always see right through me, Blake."

Her gaze softened, and she gained her own small smile, "That is one reason why you _love_ me." She stressed the word to prove her point.

He just shook his head slightly, "Yeah, you're right on that."

"Um, what is going on here?" Ruby asked, her tears stopped a little bit ago.

Blake turned to her teammates, "Jaune." She turned back to him, "Why don't you tell us?" she asked but it came out more as a command.

Jaune just looked at her then to her team. He sighed again and reached into his cloak to pull out a flask that looked identical to Qrow's, which shocked them all. He unscrewed the cap and raised it slightly, "First drink in six months. There goes my sobriety." He joked as he drank a small amount from it. The burn of the whiskey was something that he missed but he wasn't addicted to it like a certain Huntsman. He pulled it away and recapped it before returning it to his cloak. He steeled himself to answer them, "The reason why I'm alive and out here is…complicated, to say the least. But, the reason why I'm out here is because of that Grimm we just fought. The Grimm were acting strangely out here, and I decided to be the one to study them. Although, I was supposed to return months ago but things haven't been adding up out here and I was hoping to gather more information."

He ran a hand through his hair before continuing, "Ozpin was worried and wanted me back as soon as possible, I declined. That's when he decided to send someone to get the info I had already. And he decided to send your four because he knew that you'd try to bring me back. To stop that, I slipped back into my Rien persona and hid my face from you all. Although that failed." He shook his head slightly, "After that, I figured if I could make you angry enough you would leave me here. But I forgot how astute our resident Faunus is." Blake smirked slightly, "Well, there you go. That's all I can really say."

The four of them were quiet. They weren't satisfied with his answer but there had to be a reason to why he wouldn't go into detail, an important one. So, for the time being, they'd accept his answer. Weiss was the one to break the silence, "Why?" Jaune turned to her. "Why didn't you come back to Beacon?"

Jaune just looked up to the sky, looking for the right words. "The Fall allowed me to see a side of the world most people will never see. And for good reason." He looked back to them, "I learned a few things and eventually found out that me being around would be dangerous. A lot of people would be hurt, if I was around." He took a deep breath. "Especially, you girls. Look, just take the files to Ozpin and forget you ever saw me. You're better off that way."

There was a silence until he heard something very familiar, "Nope!" Ruby said. He looked up just in time to see Ruby collide with his chest and hug him tightly. She was looking up at him with a smile, "We just got you back, we are not going to just leave you here."

He just looked down at the reaper, "Ruby, trust me, it's better this way."

She just stared up at him, "Nope!" was all she said as she held him tighter.

He groaned, "Ruby." He then looked at the others and they all had similar looks. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Afraid not, Jaune." Weiss stated. "Ruby has made her decision and as her team, we need to support her."

Jaune just glared at them, "You do realize this the exact reason why I hid my identity, right?"

Blake nodded, "We figured but we are vetoing your decision."

Jaune groaned again, "Oum damn it."

Yang chuckled, "Face it, Jaune. You are either coming back with us or we're going to stay here with you. Your choice."

Jaune just looked at them all before he growled, "Why did I have to fall for such stubborn women."

"Because we're awesome." Yang replied.

Jaune wanted to just turn them down. He knew the risks of going back to Beacon, that's why he was out here. But, his heart said otherwise. He missed them all so much and now here they were. Could he really just push them away, again. He relented, it'd be easie rthis way an dhe could always fall back on his backup plan. "Alright, alright. You girls win." He gently started to pat Ruby's head, "I'll come back with you."

Ruby jumped up and cheered, showing she still had some of her more adorable antics. Yang and Blake looked at each other with triumphant smiles, Blake's was more restrained though. Meanwhile, Weiss had pulled out her scroll and was sending their coordinates to their pilot. The bullhead landed a few minutes later, just as the sun was beginning to set. RWBY were getting on board as Jaune pulled out his scroll. He went into the controls for the motion sensors and cameras he had set up in the forest. He scrolled down until her hit a button that then short circuited all of them. He had to make sure no one got their hands on them, that was the deal he made when he got them. The motion sensors were no big deal, but the cameras were going to set him back a bit. He then walked on board and sat across from RWBY as the doors closed. As they began to fly off, the stress of the day caught up to him and he dozed off.

* * *

Beacon was in ruins around him. There were fires everywhere, and you could hear the Grimm and students fighting. Jaune was standing in the middle of a large horde of Grimm. He was completely exhausted and was barely holding his Void in its longsword form. Jaune looked around, past the Grimm to see his old team and RWBY fighting against more Grimm and just as exhausted as him. He had to back them up, no way around it.

He heard a scream and quickly turned to see Nora using all her strength to stop a Nuckelavee from crushing her under its hoofs. She couldn't do anything as the human half grabbed her and started to squeeze her. She was screaming the entire time. Both him and Ren shouted for her but soon grew silent as they heard a sickening snap. Nora stopped screaming and the Grimm dropped her. She bounced off the ground and stared at him with dead eyes.

Ren shouted in fury and anguish before he charged at the Grimm in a berserker charge. Jaune could do nothing as a King Taijitu intercepted him and sent him flying into the air. Ren had no time to correct himself when the other head caught him, its fangs sticking out of his shoulder and his stomach as he bled profusely. Ren tried to get himself free before he started to go limp, his head rolled to the side with Jaune looking into his empty eyes.

Jaune quickly turned away and his eyes landed on Pyrrha fighting a Death Stalker. He tried to rush over to her, but he was too exhausted, and the Grimm were stopping him. He shouted her name and as she turned, the stinger was pushed through her chest. Pyrrha looked down at the stinger before looking up at Jaune in disbelief. She dropped her weapons as the light left her eyes. The Grimm pulled its stinger free and her body slumped to the ground.

He turned away and saw Yang and Blake fighting with each other. Yang was facing numerous Ursai while Blake was fighting a large pack of Beowolves. They were doing well until an Alpha snuck up on Blake and bit into her shoulder. Blake screamed in pure agony and the other members of the pack surrounded her. She just kept screaming and even though he couldn't see it, he knew what was happening. Yang was shouting, trying to reach her partner. While she was distracted, an Ursa Major bit into her back and stomach. It lifted her into the air and was squeezing down, intent on splitting her in two. Yang was screaming and tried to pry the jaws open. Eventually he heard a snap and Yang stilled, just before her torso fell away from her legs and the other Ursa and Grimm moved to where she dropped.

Jaune was having a breakdown at this point. This couldn't be happening, it couldn't. Jaune heard a screeching sound and looked up to see a Nevermore circling above. It flapped its wings and sent a volley of feathers at a target. He turned and saw Weiss was fighting. He ran and quickly shouted for her as he was reaching out to her. She turned in time for a dozen feathers to pierce through her body. All she could do was stumble a few steps before falling to the ground.

Jaune heard someone screaming and her turned to see Ruby on her knees. She was crying that her teammates were dead. She stared him in the eyes and they held a message: This is all your fault. He knew it to be true but knowing she blamed him made it all the worse. That's when he saw the Drake behind her, charging its energy attack. He screamed to her, telling her to move. She just turned away from him and towards the massive Grimm. She just closed her eyes and was enveloped by the red light. When it dissipated, nothing was left of her.

Jaune fell to his knees with that, his Void fading away. He started crying. Everyone he loved was gone and it was his fault. He just wanted the Grimm to end this. He heard a sound and sat up slightly and his eyes went wide as a blade sword was pushed through his chest. He looked in front of him to see a black robed figure driving the sword into his chest. Jaune didn't even have the strength to raise his arms. He could only watch as it pulled its hood down, revealing it to be him. Except he had the eyes of a Grimm and black hair. This Grimm version of himself just grinned sadistically as he drove his blade up to the hilt into his chest. With that he leant towards his ear and whispered in a demonic voice, " **You did this, you should've stayed dead**."

All Jaune could hear was it laughing as his vision went black. His only thought being, 'He's right.'

* * *

Jaune woke up with a start and instinctively created a Void orb in his right hand. He quickly regained his senses and looked around, remembering he was in a Bullhead. He calmed down a bit and absorbed the Void back into him. He was breathing raggedly as he looked across at RWBY sleeping a few feet away. Weiss was on his left with her right hand supporting her head. Ruby was sitting next to her and was leant against her sister. Yang was doing the same but with her head on top of her younger sister's. Blake was right beside Yang with her arms crossed and the back of her head leant against the wall.

Jaune took a deep breath before he leant forward and rested his face in his hands. He was trying to calm himself down. 'It was only a nightmare. Snap out of it.'

"Jaune?" He heard someone say his name and he flinched. He raised his head out of his hands and looked across to see Yang awake and looking at him in concern. "Are you okay?"

Jaune just nodded weakly, "Yeah, just a nightmare. Go back to sleep, I'm fine." He looked down at the ground with that.

He was distracted, so he missed Yang gently move Ruby to not wake her and leant her head against Weiss shoulder. She then stood up and sat next to him as she gently rubbed his back. He flinched since he was so deep in thought. He looked back at her, "You still have them?"

Jaune chuckled but it had no humor in it. "They never stopped. After the Fall, they just got worse. That mixed with being in the badland for so long, gave me a bout of insomnia."

Yang just looked at him before she decided on what to do. She placed her hands on his shoulders to guide him to sit up. He looked over at her confused as she grabbed his right hand and wrapped his around her. She sat closer to him and wrapped her left arm around him as she rested her head on his shoulder. She then took his remaining hand in her own. "Yang?" he asked.

"Us being close helped with them. Just relax and get some rest." She said with her eyes closed.

He looked at her before turning away, "I don't deserve this." He said quietly.

"It's up to me whether I want to do this or not." She told him simply. "Just get some rest, Jaune. You're safe."

The two sat like that for a while and Yang soon drifted off. Jaune sat there in her embrace, conflicted. He felt happy that this was happening again, but he still didn't deserve it. Soon her scent and warmth were starting to overwhelm him and he was slowly falling asleep. He ended up resting his head on hers as sleep took him. If this was another time, he'd probably would have kissed her before falling asleep. But he didn't. He had no right to do that. Not anymore.

* * *

 **A/N- He is the next chapter! But I have two announcements about this story. First, chapter three will have A LOT of exposition, so you have been warned. Second, that chapter won't be out for about two weeks or so. Sorry for the inconvenience. I plan on posting Distortion next week since I post those chapters t the beginning of the month and I have a one-shot planned for Valentine's Day. I really don't have much time to write as of late, really only have time to write a chapter a week. I would love to write more but just don't have the time. I hope you all understand and will be patient. See you all in the next update!  
**


	3. Exposition and Revelations

Jaune was sleeping peacefully, for the first time in over a year. He felt warm and safe. That was until he felt something land on his left shoulder. Instantly, his instincts kicked in. His left had let go of what he was holding and grabbed whatever it was. He heard a faint gasp and his eyes opened, and he was greeted with the image of Blake staring at him in shock with her ears sticking straight up. He blinked before he looked at his hand and saw he was holding her wrist. He let go instantly and she started to rub her wrist with her other hand. "Sorry, Blake. It's a reflex from being out in the wilds." He said sheepishly.

Blake just looked at him for a while before she nodded, "It's fine. We're here."

He nodded and was about to stand up until he felt that an arm was wrapped around him. He turned to his right and saw that Yang was still asleep and leaning against him. She had peaceful expression on her face. He had a ghost of a smile on his face with that before his features schooled themselves. Although, a certain Faunus didn't miss it. He gently started to shake her. "Yang, time to get up."

Yang just groaned and buried her head into his shoulder more. "No. Sleep." She said stubbornly.

Jaune just shook his head, "Come on, Yang. We need to see Oz." Yang just huffed in annoyance before she stood up and stretched her stiff muscles. Jaune just looked at her for a few seconds before he did the same. When he was done, he saw that the team of huntresses-in-training were waiting by the door. As he was walking over to join them, the door slowly started to open and flooded the bullhead with light. Jaune squinted at the light before he put his sunglasses on. He then took his first look at Beacon in nearly a year and a half. He just stared for a while and spoke just above a whisper, "Never thought I'd be here again."

The girls looked over to see Jaune staring with a far-off look to his eyes under the green lenses. That was before he sighed and reached his hands up to the arms of his sunglasses. Ruby caught on to what he was doing. "You're going to wear your mask?"

Jaune stopped and looked at her. He nodded, "Yeah. Its best that no one knows I'm alive. This is the best way to keep it that way." He hit the switches and the glasses started to form his mask once again. And once it was fully deployed, the lenses started to glow green. He then pulled his hood up. " **Let's get going.** " He said simply before he walked off the bullhead.

The four looked at each other before following him. As they made their way across the campus, many students saw them and wanted to run up to them. But they were deturbed by the Huntsman that was leading them to their destination. The man just had an aura around him that just made you want to give him as much space as possible. That would be Rien in a nutshell and that was what Jaune needed in the long run. The only person that didn't pick up on that was a blonde and green haired first-year who ran up to them. "Guys!" she shouted.

They all turned besides Jaune, who froze at the voice. Ruby started to wave her hands around like crazy. "Olive!" she shouted.

Olive ran into Ruby and the two shared a hug while the other three girls just watched with smiles. Meanwhile, Jaune just stared at his younger sister under his mask in shock. He took in her appearance as she hugged Ruby. She was still the same height as her, but she looked a bit more mature than when he last saw her. She was wearing grey combat boots with white pants and a green long-sleeved shirt. She had black, light-weight knee and shin guards. Along with black pauldrons of the same material and bracers that covered from the back of her hands to her elbows. A black belt wrapped around her waist with what looked like holsters on either side. Finally, on her back was a long spear about as tall as her. That's when she pulled away from Ruby to look at everyone. "Its so good to see you. How was your mission?"

Jaune quickly shook himself from his stupor. " **I'm sorry, but the details of their mission are classified.** "

She looked at him for the first time and looked him up and down, "Who are you?"

He just bowed his head slightly, " **Rien. I'm a Huntsman that works directly under Professor Ozpin. They were asked to help…. Escort me back to Beacon. And we really should report in to him.** "

Olive just stared at him for a bit before she nodded slowly, "Right, well it was nice to meet you." She then turned to the girls and smiled, "We should catch up later." They nodded, and she left to do whatever she was doing before spotting them.

Jaune just watched her leave. His heart felt…. heavy didn't even cover it. Olive was one of the closest to him out of all his sisters. She was the only one that new about his chronic nightmares and he could remember the countless nights she stayed with him to calm him down. To see her again, just made him miss her even more than he thought was possible. " **So, she made it here.** "

Weiss turned to him and nodded, "She started this semester. She wanted to be a Huntress similar to her Big Brother." There was a bit of snark to her voice but Jaune didn't pick up on it. His hand clenched into a fist and his knuckles cracked audibly as it shook. He then turned around and started to walk towards Beacon's tower at a brisk pace. The RBY of RWBY gave Weiss a look before they all followed him.

They all eventually found themselves in the elevator up to Ozpin's office. It was awkwardly quiet. But that was only for the four students. Jaune just wanted to finish this meeting and get out of here. His mood had quickly gone south. The elevator opened to reveal that Ozpin was at his desk with Goodwitch standing beside him. Jaune walked in and saw that Qrow was off to the side by one of the windows. As they turned to him, he gave a half-hearted two finger salute, " **Rien. Reporting for duty.** "

Qrow chuckled at the antic while Goodwitch raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Ozpin just smiled slightly, "Rien, it's good to see you in one piece. We were worried."

Jaune scoffed, " **Clearly since you sent them after me.** " He pointed his thumb at RWBY walking behind him. He turned to Goodwitch, who looked like she was analyzing him. He nodded to her, " **Professor Goodwitch.** "

"Do I know you?" she asked as she kept looking at him.

He just shrugged, " **Not really but everyone knows Ozpin's right-hand woman. Especially, when you start working for him.** "

Ozpin looked past him at Team RWBY. They were all giving him looks. "Thank you for bringing him back, Miss Rose."

"Oh, it was no problem, Professor." She said in a respectful tone. "But, um…."

"Yes?" Ozpin asked calmly.

Yang beat her to the punch. "Did you know who he is? Who he _really_ is?" her voice had an annoyed edge to it.

Ozpin just looked at her calmly. "Yes, I did, Miss Xiao Long. Its partially why I sent your team to retrieve him."

" **Oz.** " Jaune spoke up and his voice held a warning tone to it.

RWBY was shocked that Jaune would act like that, to Ozpin of all people. Goodwitch was just as shocked and was just looking between the two of them. Ozpin was just looking at Jaune calmly while drinking his coffee. Qrow looked on unamused, "Kid, take off that ridiculous mask already."

Jaune just stared Qrow down for a few seconds before he brought his hands up to the switches. As the mask of compacting, he started speaking again, " **I wouldn't have to wear this 'ridiculous' mask** if _someone_ would've met up with me like planned." His voice modifier stopped working halfway through the sequence and Goodwitch gasped at the voice. She froze completely when he pulled off his hood and pulled his glasses off. He then placed them inside his cloak as he was still glaring at Qrow.

Qrow just raised his hands in surrender, "Take it easy, I was busy with a few other things."

"I swear, if you were trying to get with that waitress from Higanbana, again." Qrow looked away slightly. Jaune just glared harder, "I'm gonna cut out the middleman and shove your flask directly into your liver."

"Mr. Arc?" Jaune turned to a still dumbfounded Goodwitch.

He sighed before he put on a sad smile, "Its been a while, Professor."

She shook her head and turned to Qrow and Ozpin with her patented glare. "Would either of you like to explain?"

Weiss added on with her own glare, "And maybe tell us, why we and JNPR didn't know about this?"

The two Huntsman looked at each other than at Jaune with an unspoken question. He looked up at the ceiling and growled in annoyance, "Sure. Why the hell not? This was probably part of the reason why you wanted me back."

"Please, hold on a second, Jaune." Ozpin said. "We should all be here for this." He added cryptically.

"All?" he asked, and his eyes widened as he heard the elevator rise behind him. He quickly started to reach for his glasses. "Son of a bitch!"

His hand just reached his glasses when the doors opened. He froze when he heard the voice that came from within it, "Come on, guys! Ozpin probably has some top-secret information for us, that way we can become his new secret agents!" Shouted a very bubbly voice.

"Nora, I doubt that is what the Headmaster wants to see us about." A calm voice spoke up.

Jaune, against everything his mind told him, slowly turned to the new arrivals. There was his former team: his sister, brother and last girlfriend with a short blonde-haired woman with them. They were in their little world until they turned and locked eyes with him. They all froze, and their eyes widened in complete disbelief. They just stared at each other for a full minute until Jaune brought his hand to his face. He lowered his head and gave a defeated sigh. He turned back to Ozpin with a tired expression on his face. "You can be a dick, you know this."

Ozpin just smirked while Qrow chuckled. "Jaune?" a voice spoke up and Jaune flinched at it. He turned to see that Nora had taken a few steps away from her team and was looking at him. Her wardrobe had updates since he saw her last, but it still fit her. He also saw that Yokiri was on her left hip. "Is that really you?"

Jaune just sighed again. "Yeah, it's me Nora." He scratched the back of his head, "I know what you're going to say, and I don't blame you for being ang- "

"Jaune!" she shouted, and he felt her tackle him. He would've been taken off his feet if he didn't bulk up a bit over the time he was gone. He looked down to see her bury her face into his chest and hugging him tightly. "I knew you were alive. There would be no way you'd break your word and leave me."

He felt her shake a bit with that and his heart started to ache. "Nora." He said weakly before he hesitantly hugged her. He put his left arm around her back and his right hand started to stroke the back of her head. She froze slightly as he spoke up, "Of course, I couldn't just abandon you, Little Sis." Nora started to cry into his chest with that. The way he hugged her, his voice and the nickname. No one could copy all of that. Jaune was back. He was alive, and she was overjoyed.

He looked up to see that Ren was standing beside him and looking him up and down. Like Nora, his clothes were different but fit him better in some ways. Fit his Mistralian heritage a bit more. He also noticed Inkiri on his right hip. Jaune looked at the ground in shame. "Hey, Ren." He didn't reply. "I'm sorry." He added weakly. He felt himself being hugged a second time. He looked to make sure it was Ren actually doing it. "Ren?" he asked hesitantly.

"Just shut up." His brother told him as he was shaking as well.

After a second, Jaune nodded and took his right hand off Nora's head and wrapped around Ren's back to pull him closer. "Got it, Brother." It felt impossible to him. To be holding his siblings in all but blood once again. He had to be dreaming. No one interrupted them. They couldn't bring themselves to do so.

The three broke apart and were sharing weak smiles. That's when heels were sounding throughout the room. They looked to see Pyrrha walking up to him in a daze. Nora and Ren walked over to RWBY as Jaune just took in her appearance. It didn't change as much as the others, but he took notice of the changes. Her corset had more bronze metal lining to it for more protection and her bronze gorget now extended further to cover more of her back and chest. Now only a triangular space was left to show a bit less cleavage than he remembered. The bronze armlet was missing from her left upper arm, now she was wearing a pair of bronze rerebraces, like the ones he used to wear. Her red sash was still there but the last six inches of it were white. Finally, Dokiri was on her lower back, laying horizontally and the handle on her left side. She stood a foot or so in front of him and they just kept staring. "Jaune?" she asked.

Jaune just nodded hesitantly. After that she pulled her right hand back and smack him across his face, hard. His head went to the side and everyone looked on in shock as the smack ran clear through the room. Jaune blinked before he turned slowly back to her. She had an angry expression on her face. "I deserved that."

That didn't help. She looked angrier now. "You deserve more than that!" She shouted as she punched him in the chest. "After a year and a half, you just walk back in here like nothing happened!" She punched him again, but he didn't do anything to stop her. "We thought you were dead! We mourned you!" More punches hit him from the champion, "And all this time, you were alive! Do you realize what you put us through!? What you put me through!?" Her punches started to slow down and weaken until she stopped with both fists on his chest as she looked down. She was shaking and breathing raggedly. "Why?" she asked weakly. "Why didn't you ever come back?" she sniffled as tears fell from her face to the ground. "Why did you leave us?"

Jaune slowly raised his hands and gently wrapped her in a hug, like at any moment she would shatter in his grasp. "I'm sorry." He said just as weakly and brokenly as her. She lost it completely with that and buried her head into his chest and started to bawl her eyes out. Jaune just held her while she let it all out. It was all he could do, all he had the right to do.

After a few minutes, she finally stopped crying. She slowly pulled her head back and looked up at Jaune, red eyed. He looked more mature now and his hair was a bit longer than it was before. But the most different thing were his eyes, they weren't the blue she knew and loved. They were now a dark purple, so very close to black. They also looked tired, like he'd seen a lot for his nearly twenty years of life. She slowly reached up her hand and gently placed it on his cheek, to just be sure this was really her Jaune. Jaune couldn't help but close his eyes and lean into her touch. "What happened?" she asked simply. No anger was in her voice or even sadness. Just curiosity.

Jaune opened his eyes and met her emerald green orbs. He sighed before he pulled away from her. He looked at everyone in the room before he gently massaged his forehead. "You all have the right to know this. That's probably why these two called you all here." He flicked his hand over to Ozpin and Qrow as he said that. "But, what I'm about to tell you, can't leave this room. Do you all understand?"

All the students looked at each other, having their own private conversations before they turned to him and nodded. "Okay then. But first things first." He started walking past Pyrrha to stand directly in front of the last person in the room. She was a short woman with long wavy, blonde hair. She wore black boots with very high heels, but still was only about four foot ten. She wore blue jeans tucked into said boots and a black jacket with black gloves. She also had blue eyes, similar to the shade Jaune's were. Honestly, she could easily be mistaken for an Arc. Jaune crossed his arms and cocked his head slightly with a raised eyebrow, "Just who are you?"

Her response was to tilt her head slightly and send him a mischievous grin. Pyrrha was the one to speak up, "This is Jasmine. She was placed on our team to…well, replace you."

Jaune didn't say anything, he just stared her down as she just kept grinning up at him. Soon a small grin was on his face as well. "Why Jasmine?" he asked.

She just pulled out her scroll and started typing. When she was done, she raised it up to be eye level to him. He quickly read through what she typed, and his grin grew. "So, you didn't want the team name to change. To honor me?" She just took her scroll away and nodded. "Thank you." He said sincerely. He uncrossed his arms and reached his hand out to pat her head.

The other members of JNPR and RWBY were about to stop him. The last time someone tried to pat her on the head, she flipped the second-year through a table. That's why they were shocked when she not only let Jaune do it but actually leant into his touch more. They were completely dumbfounded when she stepped forward and hugged him. She never did that, she begrudgingly let others, like Yang and Nora, hug her but they never saw her initiate one before.

Jaune wrapped his other arm around her back. "You've been keeping an eye on them for me?" She nodded as she continued to hug him. "You've kept them out of trouble?" She looked up at him and gave him a pout. He chuckled slightly, "I expected as much. But thank you still." She just grinned more up at him.

The two teams had enough by this point and Ruby spoke up, "Jaune?" He turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "How do you know Jasmine? We only met her at the beginning of the semester."

Jaune's other eyebrow raised to join the other before turning back to Jasmine. "They don't know?" She just shook her head. Jaune nodded, "Right. I did say to keep it low-key, didn't I. Well, you should be fine to show them." Her eyes widened in a panic and she quickly looked to them and Goodwitch. She snapped out of her mini panic attack when Jaune placed his hands on her shoulders and she snapped back to him. "Hey, hey, calm down." He spoke calmly. "Have I ever steered you wrong before?" She slowly shook her head. "You trust me, right?" She nodded without hesitating. "So, trust me now. Everything will be alright. I'm here now." He gave her a reassuring smile and she slowly nodded again before giving their hug a quick squeeze.

She pulled away from him and looked at the room. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. They were all curious on what she was doing, until a glow started at her feet and rose up her body. Once it reached the top of her head, Jasmine was gone. And standing there was someone none of them expected. Neopolitan. She opened her now brown and pink eyes and gave them all a nervous looking grin.

Everyone else in the room was shocked silent at this latest revelation. Well, besides Ozpin and Qrow. Like before they were calm, in Ozpin's case, and disinterested, in Qrow's. The only one that had any kind of reaction was Yang and that was when her eyes shifted to red for a few seconds. Finally, Goodwitch snapped out of it and pulled her crop from her holster and pointed it at Neo. "Mr. Arc, step aside!"

That snapped everyone from their stupor and they were just in time to see what happened next. Jaune immediately stood in front of Neo and pointed his right palm directly at Goodwitch as a Void orb materialized in his hand. He just glared at her and his body had clear signs of being ready to fight. "Not happening." He said deathly serious. "This orb can fly as fast as a bullet and break through _anything_. I don't wanna be reminded of what this can do to something living."

No one dared to move as the most powerful Huntress in Beacon had a stare down with the only known Pseudo-Maiden. That was until Ozpin cleared his throat. "Glynda, please lower your weapon."

She turned to her boss in shock. "Ozpin, do you realize who that is?!"

He nodded, "Yes, I am well aware who Miss Neopolitan is and what she has done. But for the last year, she has been a part of our _group_." He stressed that specific word and that made her even more confused. "Along with Jaune." He turned from his assistant to said man. "Jaune, no harm will come to her. So, can you please stop threatening Glynda?"

Jaune's eyes flicked over to the Headmaster for a second. His orb faded out of existence and his whole body relaxed completely. "Sorry, Oz." He turned back to look at the still stunned Neo. "You okay?" She slowly nodded to Jaune. He gently took her hand, "Come on, stand by Qrow while I explain everything." He slowly started to walk her over to the Huntsman as she followed. Her eyes went over to NPR and RWBY, before she looked down.

She felt a hand on her head and she looked up to see Jaune looking at her with that same reassuring smile. She smiled slightly before mouthing 'thank you'. He just nodded and patted her head before he took his hand away. She then walked over to Qrow and gave him her trademark smirk before standing next to him. "How you been, Midget?" he asked gruffly. She just punched him in the arm to answer.

"Qrow, play nice." He said tiredly. Qrow mumbled something under his breath before him and Jaune pulled out their flasks and took a drink, completely in sync.

That shocked Goodwitch and NPR. "Jaune." He turned to his former partner. "You drink?"

He nodded, "I did before everything happened, just not often. Still don't really. Besides, it'll never become a problem. Its physically impossible for me to get drunk now."

Yang snorted, "Just because you have high reserves of aura, doesn't mean you can't get drunk."

Jaune nodded, "True." He then held his hand out with his palm pointed to the sky. A Void orb materialized into his hand. "But, Void does. Any alcohol or toxin that gets past my aura, it destroys completely. But, I'm getting off track." The orb faded away and he returned his flask to his cloak. "I'll start at the beginning. You all know of the Maidens, I assume."

Pyrrha nodded, "Yes, I told them about them when we went to Patch after the Fall."

"Good, that saves me some time." He took a deep breath before explaining to them how his Semblance originated from the Fall Maiden's power and how Amber was a previous Fall Maiden. He then explained how Cinder attacked Amber, stole half her power and how during the Fall, she managed to kill her to gain the full Maiden powers. They were all shocked to say the least, besides the protectors and Pyrrha. "I was the best chance at stopping her. With the link between us, I was siphoning energy from her as we fought. I was becoming stronger as she was weakening, even if it was only just slightly. Plus, she had just gained her abilities, so she didn't have full control." He looked out the window. "It was still close, and I had to resort to Void. It ended when I exhausted my aura and she stabbed me through the stomach." His left hand unconsciously traced the scar through his shirt as he said that. "But that gave me the chance to stab her in the heart with Kuroibarra. I then passed out from blood loss when I tried to make my way back to Beacon." He turned back to the room. "That's how it happened."

They were all absorbing this when Blake spoke up, "So, what happened to you afterwards? Where'd you go?"

"Someone actually saved me. They got me out of the Emerald Forest and somewhere to heal. I can't say who did, how they did it or where I was though. I gave my word I wouldn't." He told them before anyone asked. "It took about a month for me to gain consciousness after that."

"What!?" Weiss raised her voice. "How did it take that long? With your aura, it shouldn't have been _that_ long."

Jaune nodded. "You're right. The thing was, I had no aura and it took it a whole month to fully return. That's when I fully healed from my injuries and woke up." He slowly paced the room. "The aura stimulant I was using had the downside that the person's aura would rejuvenate slowly after being used. But what I and the creator didn't know, was that if you completely exhaust your aura while it's in your system, it takes a week to restore the aura. And every consecutive shot, doubles that time." He looked back to the seven of them. "I used three that day, so that equaled a month."

"Those things are more risk than they're worth." Pyrrha spoke up coldly. She still remembered herself lecturing Jaune on using so many of them during the Fall.

Jaune chuckled dryly. "Yeah, I told him that and he's been working on fixing that." He shrugged, "He's had no luck so far." He started pacing again. "After that, I had to retrain my body. A month of not moving made my body weak and stiff. Luckily, my 'savior' started to whip me back into shape. And while I did that, I had to start mastering Void."

"Jaune, why are you so focused on Void?" Ren asked, voicing his concerns. "Its clearly dangerous and it has to have some repercussion from using it."

"You don't know the half of it. But that's a discussion for another time. As I said before, my Semblance would evolve by being close to the Fall Maiden by absorbing their energy over time. That's how I could do Advance Elements and Stage Two. When Cinder died, the Maiden powers were released to search for a new host. I was exposed to the power directly when that happened, and my Semblance absorbed more energy than ever before. My Semblance evolved further, and the other elements were lost to me. He shrugged. "Void is all I have now."

Ren nodded, "So, that's why you had to master it."

Jaune nodded, "Can't ever lose control of this power. Void reverts nearly everything to nothing." Jaune popped his neck to the side and rubbed it as he started again. "It took a couple more months before I was confident that I could control Void. And my 'savior' used their resources to get me back to Beacon in record time as long as I kept my word to them. I was going to find Oz and see what happened to you all, so I could see you again."

"So, what stopped you?" Ruby asked, while looking at the Headmaster and her Uncle.

"They told me the truth." He sighed before continuing. "Cinder wasn't working alone. She was part of an…organization that has some terrible things planned for this world. The Fall of Beacon was their first step. And their whole plan was stopped by one person: me. If they ever found out I was still alive, they'd do whatever it took to end me. And they have the resources and patience to make it happen." That made them all feel a shiver run up their spines. The Fall was terrible, and these people were planning something way worse for Remnant. "Honestly, they could easily target my family if I proved to be too much to deal with directly. Or all of you." He ran a hand through his hair before he continued. "I couldn't take that risk. So, I decided to work with Oz and Qrow to stop them. They helped set up my Rien persona and for the rest of that year, I went on missions with Qrow. And Jaune Arc would stay dead."

"And you never thought to let us know?" Yang asked angrily.

"We needed to keep the circle as small as possible. The three of us and one other person knew who Rien actually was. And Neo joined that group shortly after." He shrugged again. "Plus, you were all better off not knowing."

"That wasn't up to you!" Yang shouted at him. The other's flinched back from her outburst. "We had every right to know that you were alive! We were your girlfriends and family, for fuck sake!"

Jaune just stared her down. "Keyword, were. You were with Jaune Arc. Last time I checked, he was dead. I'm Rien, now." He replied coldly.

That stunned them and made Yang angrier, her eyes shifted to red. "Yeah, guess you don't need us anymore."

Jaune was done at that point and turned his back on them. "Believe whatever you want. I don't need to explain myself. I did what I felt was right and I'd do it again. If you don't like it…" He pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the elevator. "The door's there."

Yang just stared him down before she walked towards the door. They watched her walk off as Weiss sent a glare at Jaune's back and followed her. Ruby was about to stop them when she heard a sniffle and saw that Pyrrha was tearing up again along with Nora. The two gave him hurt looks before they started to leave as well. Ren just looked at Jaune's back before he shook his head and went to comfort his team. Blake and Ruby were conflicted. They looked from Jaune then to each other before they came to a decision. They took one last look at Jaune before they followed their friends. The doors opened and they all walked in. The doors closed shortly after, leaving Jaune still standing there.

* * *

 **A/N- Well, this is late. I'd like to apologize for that. I was going to post this last week but I managed to get the flu and had no energy to type. Hope it was worth the wait. Next chapter should be out in about two weeks, I'll be working on my monthly chapter for Distortion next. Hope you all understand and I'll see you all in the next update!  
**


	4. Living with the Pain

Jaune just stood in the same position, his back towards the elevator door of Ozpin's office. He closed his eyes as the onslaught of emotions washed over him. His heart ached over what he just did, but it was what was best for them. He was pulled from his thoughts by a familiar gruff voice, "Was that really necessary, Kid?"

Jaune opened his eyes and sent a glare at Qrow, who was still leaning next to one of the windows. "Yeah, it was. Considering this was some ploy by you two." He said with a very noticeable edge.

"They had the right to know, Yang was right about that." He defended them.

"That doesn't matter!" he shouted. "When I went to fight Cinder, I had Oz promise not to get them involved in all of this, unless they wanted to. I gave up my life to keep them safe. I'm doing everything now to make sure they live a life they deserve." He motioned to the room, "We all know that once you are told the truth, everything changes, and you can never go back to the way things were before. They have such bright futures ahead of them and I don't want them to give up on their dreams to fight in this war."

They were quiet for a while, "I understand, Jaune. I don't want Yang and Ruby involved in this either." He looked back at Qrow. "But this isn't helping you. I mean going off on this suicide mission- "

Jaune cut him off, "You said anything about a suicide mission! I didn't come back when we agreed because shit had gotten serious and something new had come up. I wanted all the information before I gave it to Oz. But you two just jumped to the conclusion that I just wanted to get myself killed? For Oum sake, if I really wanted to end my life, I would've already!"

He stopped when he felt someone smaller hug him tightly. He looked down to see Neo giving him the tightest hug possible with her head buried into his chest. He took a deep breath and calmed himself before he hugged her back. "Don't worry, Neo. I'm not going to leave you. I swear." She just nodded into his chest but didn't let go of him.

They were all quiet for a while but Qrow had to say one last thing. "You were at this low point before…"

Jaune just looked at him, "Drop it." His voice held finality but no longer anger. The Huntsman just looked away with that and Neo slowly pulled away from Jaune. She wiped the few tears from the corner of her eyes. Jaune gently patted her head to apologize further.

"Mr. Arc." He looked up from Neo to turn to Goodwitch. "How much do you two know?"

Jaune thought for a second, "All of it probably. Salem, the Maidens, the Relics, magic, Oz's curse." He turned back to Neo, "That's it, right?" Neo gave him a look that she was thinking before she nodded. "Yeah, that would be it, Miss Goodwitch."

She nodded and continued, "And you trust her?"

Neo looked away and he just put his hand on her shoulder, "With my life. And she's saved it a few times already. Qrow had the same suspicion as you but she has done _nothing_ to sabotage us." He told her with full conviction.

Goodwitch looked at him for a bit before she looked down at the clearly panicked girl, who had pushed herself up against his side. Goodwitch then sighed, "Very well. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and trust your judgement."

Jaune smiled at her and Neo looked up, for the first time since she revealed herself, to look the Huntress in her eyes. She gave her a small smile and bowed her head slightly. Ozpin then cleared his throat, "Now since that is settled, what did you find out, Jaune?"

Jaune sighed and started to reach for his scroll. He placed it on his desk, "This is definitely gonna make things tougher for us."

As soon as he said that, a hologram appeared over Ozpin's desk. A miniature version of a Drake. The other four people in the room observed it as Jaune started to speak, "The Grimm out there are acting more savage and unruly, well more than Grimm usually are. But what was really disturbing is that they are turning cannibalistic."

"The Grimm are eating each other?" Goodwitch asked, both disturbed and shocked by this.

He nodded, "Normally, I'd say this was a good thing. Grimm attacking Grimm would help us out. But, these cannibalistic Grimm become more powerful the more they feed. I saw a young Beowolf take down an Alpha after it devoured its pack."

"So, these Grimm can be as strong as the older ones just by eating their own? Lovely." Qrow added as he drank from his flask.

Jaune nodded, "Although, that's not the worst part." He took a deep breath before playing a video on his scroll. They all watched as the saw dozens of cannibalistic Grimm tearing each other apart in a thick forest. It was disturbing to all of them but they all kept composed faces. Jaune because he had seen it multiple times before. As all the Grimm were dying or dead, they all rapidly turned into smoke before it all coalesced into one place. That's when a deep red light erupted from the smoke and as the image came back, a Drake was standing in its place. The video ended as it roared. They were all silent for a bit.

"Yeah." Jaune spoke up and gained the other's attention. "If enough of these Grimm get together, the negativity and miasma they give off from tearing each other apart, fuse them together into this kind of Grimm. Luckily, it takes a large amount to form even one. I've been calling them Drakes."

"How powerful are these Grimm?" Ozpin asked seriously.

Jaune sighed, "Very. Their hide is pretty durable, regular bullets have a hard time penetrating it. The armor is highly resistant. Takes a lot just to crack it. They're also very fast for their size and strong, obviously. And finally, is this." He played another video.

This one showed the camera looking at the Drake as it was charging red energy into its mouth. The light grew brighter and they saw the camera go rolling. It eventually went upright and turned to see that a red beam going into the distance. When it vanished, a few hundred feet or more of the forest was vaporized. "That was one of my first encounters with them and it was recorded directly from my mask. These Grimm can focus this energy into a powerful attack. Only thing I've seen to put up a defense has been my Void but even that gets worn down by it. Maybe aura could do the same, but I don't think anyone would like to test that out."

"If Salem could get her hands on these…" Goodwitch trailed off.

Jaune nodded, "Exactly. If she had maybe a dozen of these, no Kingdom would stand a chance. Luckily, I've fought them enough to find a few weaknesses to them. I've put down everyone I ran into and they haven't manifested anywhere else, yet, or we would've heard about it."

"How many of those things have you fought?" Qrow asked in concern.

Jaune shrugged, "Eight or nine over the six months I was out there. Latest one was when RWBY came to find me." Jaune ran his hand through his hair. "Honestly, if I didn't have Void, I probably wouldn't have made it against the first one." Neo gently took his hand in hers as he said that. Jaune just gave it a slight squeeze as he brought the hologram of the Drake back up.

"First, these things act on pure instinct. Especially, when they first form, so its easy to outsmart or outmaneuver them. As for weak spots…." He pointed to the chest armor. "The energy for their strongest attack is charged here. If you hit it hard enough or better yet, pierce into its hide, the energy will destabilize. Stopping the attack and causing enough damage to it so it can't use it again. At least, for a while."

The image spun and Jaune pointed to the area between the shoulders. "The armor here is slightly weaker compared to the rest of its body. If you can get to this spot and pierce it, it'll have a paralysis effect on them for as long as whatever is piercing it stays in place. Also, from my last encounter, I found out that if you can inject lightning dust or electricity into that spot, it'll extend the paralysis effect. Even after removing the weapon."

The image zoomed in further to the creature's head. "Finally, the area where the head connects to the neck is the vital spot. With enough force or aura, you can remove the head completely. But, it's the riskiest spot to go for. If someone or a group can hit these spots in this order, it becomes that much easier to bring it down."

The three other members of the group just took all this in. Ozpin gained a small smile, "You've certainly been thorough."

Jaune just chuckled, "Rather we had all the info on theses things before anyone tries to take them down. Although, I wouldn't recommend a single person or even a pair to engage a Drake. A team should be the absolute minimum."

Ozpin nodded, "Good to know. I would like copies to send to the other three Academies."

He nodded, "Of course, last thing we need is for them to start popping up without anyone being none the wiser. But, I'm not done. There are two variants to these Grimm."

Goodwitch and Qrow just looked ta him stunned. "You're kidding." Qrow said.

Jaune shook his head, "Wish I was. The one I just told you about is the weaker of the two. The other is virtually the same but with two big differences." Another image came up and it was identical to the first, but the white armor now had red designs on it. It looked almost exactly like the one Jaune and RWBY fought. "These are formed differently from its weaker counterpart. It is only formed when a single Grimm starts the process. But for that to happen, the Grimm has to be powerful and consume a good deal of Grimm beforehand." He showed the video of the Taijitu that transformed the day before. "When that happens, the Grimm essence fuses into the single Grimm. The Drake that forms actually does have some intelligence, similar to an older Grimm. Plus, it gains an additional ability. They can control other Grimm."

That bombshell had them all shell-shocked, "Before you say anything, no, not like Salem. It's more like a Queen bee giving commands to its colony. It makes it harder to deal with because now you have more Grimm protecting the big bastard. These Drakes I would recommend at least two or three teams to deal with."

Qrow, Glynda and Neo were just stunned by all of this. Ozpin sighed while massaging his forehead, "In all my years, I've never encountered anything like this." He looked back at the hologram as he took a calming sip of his coffee. "I doubt Salem has anything to do with this. Otherwise, she would've done this long before now. So, what could cause this?" Ozpin asked out loud.

Everyone was silent, thinking over what the Headmaster had said. Then Jaune cleared his throat, "I know I dumped a lot on you all, but there is one last thing." Goodwitch massaged her head to stop a migraine and Qrow groaned before downing the last of his flask.

He tapped on his scroll and another hologram appeared. It looked like the Drakes, but it was smaller, maybe twice the size of an average person. It was quadrupedal but had a shorter neck and tail. Also, its armor was smaller and had a more aerodynamic look, besides two curved blades that extended from its shoulder blades. Its mask looked similar but had two horns, one on either side of its head, that curved backwards. "This thing showed up a few weeks before our rendezvous. This image is the clearest one I have of it and this video."

He played it to show two Drakes, one of each variant, squaring off against each other in a canyon. The one had a horde of Grimm with it. They all watched as the two Drakes began to battle, tearing apart the land around them with little effort. They were even but the weaker one was being worn down by the horde of normal Grimm. It would kill or devour them, but the other Drake would capitalize on those moments. It came to a head when both Drakes fired their energy blasts. The two held even for a while but the more advanced one was slowly pushing it back. That was when a Goliath charged into the 'inferior' Drake and slammed into its chest, cracking it. The beast roared in pain as the energy stopped. That's when the other beam engulfed its head. The beam dissipated, and the headless Drake's body fell lifelessly to the ground.

The 'superior' Grimm roared in victory as its Grimm followers did the same. Afterwards, it started to feed on the fallen Drake. When it was halfway through its feeding, it pulled away and roared again. That's when the carcass and the Grimm horde vaporized instantly. The smoke gathered around the Grimm and it started to condense smaller. When it was a fifth of the original size, the same deep red light erupted from it. And when the image was restored, you could see the new Grimm from earlier. But only for a second, because in the next, it was gone.

"Okay. What the hell was that?" Qrow asked.

"Honestly?" Jaune asked. When Qrow nodded, he shrugged, "No idea. Maybe that's a further 'evolution' of the Grimm. The stage after the Drakes. I can't say for sure. I was indisposed when this happened, that's why I didn't interfere. And by the time I was back on my feet, I couldn't find a trace of it. This is why I didn't wanna come back yet. I wanted to get _some_ information on it. But no luck. The only thing I can tell you is the name a gave it, the Draco."

Ozpin sighed, "Thank you for all this, Jaune. This will help all of us in the long run."

Jaune just shook his head, "No problem. I just wish I had more."

He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Goodwitch looking at him with a gently look. "You did everything you could and did what few would've. Don't look down on that, Jaune."

Jaune just looked at her before he had a small smile, "Kinda weird to hear you call me by my first name."

She just gave him a glare with no heat before she walked over to Ozpin. "So, what will we do now, Ozpin?"

He looked out his window for a bit. "We'll send the files to the other Academies and carry on as normal. Salem hasn't made a move, so our priority should be to deal with any Drakes that appear as quickly and quietly as possible. While also keeping an eye out for this Draco."

"I could keep my eyes open and let you know." Qrow offered.

"Plus, you can send me out if you need to." Jaune said. "I do have the most experience with these Grimm."

Ozpin nodded, "That should work. But, you'll have to be somewhere I can get in contact with you."

"True. I can find somewhere in Vale or just outside the Kingdom." Jaune offered.

"Actually, that won't be necessary." Ozpin stated as Jaune raised an eyebrow. "When Beacon was repaired, we converted an older dorm building into a building for special guests to stay. It was just finished recently, so it's perfect. It's on the border of the school's territory, far from the rest of the school so you'll have your privacy and you'll be close enough if needed."

Jaune just stared at Ozpin, "And it just conveniently finished as I was coming back?" Ozpin just gave him his usual stoic look until a small smile appeared on his face. Jaune sighed and ran a hand down his own face, "You and your damn schemes." That caused the three older adults to chuckle. "Fine, I'll stay. Anything you want me to do while I'm here?"

"Yes. I'd like you to observe the Grimm in Forever Fall and the Emerald Forest. Peter has been saying the Grimm have been 'acting up.' I'd like to make sure that a Drake will not appear soon or at all."

Jaune nodded, "Shouldn't be a problem, I know the signs." He felt Neo pull on his sleeve. As he looked down, she had her scroll up for him to read. He read her message and had a small smile. "Yeah. You can stay with me until things calm down with you and the others." She gave a silent cheer and hugged him, which he returned. He looked at Qrow, "Mind hanging around for a while? I'll need a hand around the forests and I'm not a hundred percent right now."

He pointed at Neo, "What about the midget?" That earned him a glared from the shorter girl.

"She has class and can't be with me." She looked up at him in surprise. "Yes, you are still going to class. No, you can't skip just because I'm back." That earned him a pout as she broke the hug and crossed her arms.

"Glynda, could you show Jaune and Neo to the building?" Ozpin asked her. She nodded and started to walk to the elevator. The two followed her and slipped back into their fake personas. Neo used her Semblance to become Jasmine and Jaune put his mask back on.

* * *

It had been a few days. Team RWBY and NPR were sitting in the library, trying to study. Well, everyone besides Nora, who was reading a comic book. They were told that Jaune was staying in the unused building on the edge of Beacon and Jasmine, no Neo, was staying with him until they came to terms with who she really was. That was still a shock to all of them. That their new friend was someone that tried to kill them all before. But, she never did anything hostile to them since she was put on JNPR. Honestly, she acted like a protector to all of them. That just made this situation even more confusing.

That just added to the complexity to their problem with Jaune. They were all happy to know he was alive. But the fact that he lied to them, hid from them, that just hurt so badly. And worse, he really didn't regret doing so. Plus, what was the whole thing between him and Neo? They all wanted to see him and talk this out but the pain they were feeling made them not want to take that step.

They were pulled from their own worlds when they heard someone nearby. They turned to see Neo, as Jasmine, walk around the corner. She had been keeping her distance from them all over the last few days. When she saw them, her eyes widened before she looked down at the ground. She looked up slightly to give them a guilty look before she turned and walked away, downtrodden.

They watched her go, not sure on what to do. They saw her, literally, bump into Qrow. The two had a small conversation where she practically shoved her scroll into his face. He pushed it away and nodded to her. That's when there was a bright light and she was gone. Qrow looked around before he lowered his head, to probably sigh, before he walked over to their table. "Hey, Pipsqueak, Firecracker. How's it going?" he asked casually.

"Hey, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby said happily. "What're you doing here? We thought you left already."

Qrow shook his head, "Nah, I stuck around for a bit. You now, help the Kid settle in and give him a hand for Oz. Make sure everything is going well." He chuckled. "Two of us were pretty much exterminating Grimm from dawn til dusk." He got a bit more serious, "Also noticed none of you came by to see him."

No one wanted to answer that. Ruby looked back to her book, "We've been busy…"

"Really?" He asked, unimpressed. "Or is it you all are still upset and are avoiding him?" No one spoke up. "I rest my case."

Blake looked up with her ears pulled back as she glared at him, "Well, how are we supposed to feel after he lied to us for so long?"

Qrow pulled out the only empty chair and sat down in it, "Maybe try to understand why he had to lie." He heard Yang and Weiss scoff at that. He just looked at the two, "Trust me, the Kid hasn't been the same since he started to keep you all at a distance."

Yang glared at her uncle, her eyes red. "And how would you know?"

Qrow rolled his eyes, "You know, for people who 'loved' him, you really don't know him that well." It looked like the girls were about to explode at him, but they stopped when he looked them in the eyes, his holding a dangerous glint. "Shut it and listen." He commanded and they all nodded meekly.

When he was sure they wouldn't interrupt him, he started to talk again, "When you five first met him, he was broken. The look in his eyes when I told him Amber was gone…It reminded me so much of Tai." That got his nieces' attention. "Or myself." He added before they could say anything, he pulled out his flask and drank from it. "But this isn't about me. The Kid was so broken, he saw only one option for himself." He looked to Pyrrha, "Remember what he told us in the Vault?"

Pyrrha was confused for a second until her eyes widened. She nodded, and the others looked to her, confused. "He said he wanted to kill himself." She said weakly. Everyone at the table besides Qrow gasped at that. Even Ren and Nora were stunned.

Qrow nodded gravely, "Exactly. When someone loses that much so soon, he wants the pain to just end." He let his words sink in before continuing, "But he didn't. And it wasn't because of some bull like, 'he was stronger than that' or 'they wouldn't have wanted him to do that.' He didn't do it because of you two." He pointed to Ren and Nora, who were further stunned.

"U-us?" Nora asked weakly.

Qrow nodded, "You two had no one besides each other, him and Gin. And he knew, that if you lost him too then you'd be devastated. Not to mention, you wouldn't ever see the Arcs because you'd blame yourselves for his death. Am I wrong?"

Nora shook slightly, and Ren pulled her into a small hug. "Why are you telling us this?" Ren asked.

"I'm getting to that." He took another sip from his flask. "I was worried for him, he's the closest thing I'll ever have to a kid." He looked to his nieces, "Don't get me wrong, I love you girls to death. Never doubt that." The nodded to him with small smiles. "When I saw him again during the festival…" He chuckled, "He was so much like his old self. He still had the pain in his eyes, but it was buried under so much love and happiness. Thanks to you five." His smile fell, and he had a frown now. "But that's what lead to all this."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked confused.

"When he realized you all could be in trouble. Could get killed during the Fall, it made him realize something." He looked at his flask. "After being surrounded by so much love, how would he go on if he lost any of that? Or all of it?" He turned back to the table of students, "He figured fighting and possibly dying would be far better than losing any of you. And he would do it all again because all your lives are more valuable than his own could ever be, at least to himself."

"Well, he did make that clear a few times." Pyrrha said, remembering how far he'd push himself.

"When he came back, he realized how much danger you could all be in because of him. So, when he decided to work with me and Oz, I decided to be there for him. But the more time went on…" He sighed, "The worse he got. He was breaking more and more with each day. But who could blame him? He had lost his old life, his family, everyone he cared for, everything. Honestly, he looked like one bad day from ending it all." He chugged his flask after saying that.

"What stopped him?" Blake asked, unable to hide the concern from her voice.

"Neo." He said simply to the shock of all of them. "A few months into that year, we ran into her being attacked by bandits. She was losing, and we didn't want to know what they were going to do with her. We saved her and rushed her to the nearest village as she passed out. She was severely dehydrated, starving and sleep deprived. If she was out there any longer, she would've died."

"Jaune took it upon himself to get her back on her feet. She didn't trust him for a while. But slowly and surely, she opened up to him. And they got close." The girls twitched at that but Qrow saw it. "Not like that. The Midget sees him like a best friend or brother. Hell, maybe even a surrogate father. And he see's her as a friend or even a sister. She helped to pull him from the edge and he started to get better. But not completely. And when he went on that mission, he sent her to Beacon. To keep her safe and to make sure you all would be okay."

They were all stunned by this and none of them knew what to say. "How?" They all turned to a shaky Weiss, "How do you know all of this?"

He just looked at her before reaching into his pocket, "I've known the Kid for years and know how he thinks. Also, the two of us worked together for the first year he was Rien. During that time, I tried to help him. Get him to open up. But you all know that he likes to keep his problems his own. Luckily, I was able to get this before he went into his self-imposed exile."

He pulled out his scroll and put it on the table as he played a recording. It was quiet for a few seconds, besides the sound of people talking and the usually background noise you'd hear in a bar. Then they heard Qrow speak up, " _Why are you doing this, Kid?_ "

" _What? Drinking with you?_ " they heard Jaune speak next. " _Only a few people know my secret and out of all of them, you're by far the easiest to hang out with. Well, except Neo but she's at Beacon now._ " They heard him chuckle slightly with that.

" _You know what I'm talking about._ "

There was a small silence before Jaune sighed, " _You know the answer._ "

" _I wanna hear it from you._ " Qrow pushed.

" _They're better off without me._ " he said matter of factly.

Qrow scoffed, " _I think the pain they're going through says otherwise._ "

" _Yeah. But them knowing I'm alive and not being with them would be too dangerous._ " He stopped and after a few seconds, heard a glass being put down. He was drinking.

" _Secrets never work out, trust me on this one, Kid._ "

" _Then why haven't you told them that big secret of yours yet?_ " Jaune shot back heatedly.

There was an extended silence, the two were probably staring each other down. Until Qrow finally spoke, " _That's a low blow._ "

" _Like you, bringing them up because you don't agree with my decision isn't?_ " Jaune countered.

There was another shorter silence, " _I'll give you that. But it doesn't make my point any less valid._ "

Jaune sighed depressingly, " _Yeah. But they want the guy they all knew and loved. I'm not him anymore._ "

" _Bullshit._ "

" _Fuck off._ " Jaune shot back but with no heat to it. " _Say and think what you want, you're not changing my mind._ "

" _Kid, why are you so dead set on this?_ " Qrow asked, almost desperately.

They were quiet for a while, then he spoke just over a whisper, " _How would you react if someone you loved and thought was dead came back and pretty much told you they were lying to you?_ " There was a pause and Qrow didn't answer. " _That's what I thought. They'd hate me Qrow and as much as that would probably be better in the long run, I'd rather avoid that._ " Another pause, " _I'm not strong enough for that._ " He ended in a nearly broken tone.

" _How would that be better?_ " Qrow asked, confused by his reasoning.

Jaune was quiet for a while and they all thought the recording was over. But then, " _I'd rather them hate me and be alive, than love me and wind up dead._ " He cut himself off before they heard him slam a glass down. He just chugged an entire drink by that sound.

" _That just makes things more painful for you._ "

They heard Jaune laugh but there was no humor in it. " _I've been living with pain all my life, a little more won't kill me._ " A pause, " _Or them._ "

The recording was done and Qrow took his scroll back. He looked to see that they were all misty eyed. He slowly returned his flask to his coat before talking, "You've all been suffering this whole time, no one can deny that. But while you've had each other to lean on, he's pushed everyone away to deal with it himself. He's opted to be hated and living in pain because he's convinced if you're with him, you'll die. That's how much, no, how deeply he cares for all of you."

None of them responded, so he stood from his chair and turned to walk away with his hands in his pockets. After a few feet he stopped, "You're all too old for me or anyone else to tell you what to do. What you do next is entirely up to you. " He looked over his shoulder at them, "Just be sure you make the decision you won't regret later." He turned back to face forward, "Oh. And if you need further proof, just look at his tattoo. That'll be more than enough." He chuckled to himself as he walked away.

The seven of them just sat at the table, some were crying quietly. They were trying to figure out what to do next. What was the right choice? No, what was the choice they wouldn't regret.


	5. Mending the Heart

There were many things that Jaune missed while being out in the badlands. At the top of that list was hot showers. He sighed as the hot water ran down his tired body, easing his muscles. He had already cleaned himself from all the dirt he had accumulated from keeping an eye on the Grimm in the Emerald Forest. He was now just taking a few minutes to just unwind.

Ozpin had been right; the Grimm had been acting up and he saw that they were becoming cannibalistic. Not as severe as out in the badlands but it was still troublesome. So, he and Qrow had been trying to take care of as many of those Grimm as possible. But both knew it was impossible to take care of all of them. They were just delaying the eventual rise of a Drake. Luckily though, he was able to figure out around where the Drake would manifest, and Ozpin had let the students know that the area was off limits for the time being. Jaune had also placed a few motion sensors and cameras around the area so he'd know when the Drake would be formed.

He was also glad to have Qrow backing him up. He still wasn't a hundred percent and he didn't want to think about fighting a Drake at anything other than perfect. Hopefully, it would work out in his favor. But knowing his luck, it wouldn't.

Jaune gave one last sigh before he shut off the water. He opened the curtain and grabbed his towel to quickly dry himself off. He then hung his towel on the rack before putting on his boxers and some blue pajama pants. His shirt was in his room attached to this bathroom, pretty much the master bedroom. He would've left his pants as well but with Neo staying with him, he decided to not poke the bear, so to speak. She could be worse than Yang. He wiped the mirror clean and looked at his reflection. His hair was longer now, an inch or so than when he was a student but what stuck out were his eyes. He still wasn't used to looking at his reflection and seeing those dark purple eyes instead of his usual blue. Another thing he had lost after the Fall. He shook his head and went to the door to leave.

When he opened the door, he had the mild shock to see Neo standing outside the door, reaching for it in only her underwear. She just stared up at him before he usual smirk came to her face. Jaune just looked at her for a few seconds, most girls he knew preferred to wear matching underwear, but Neo was wearing a brown bra with pink panties. But, it suited her usual style.

He sighed, "I'm guessing Qrow told you I was back." She nodded. "And you decided you would tease me while I was in the shower, like you've done countless times before." Her smirk shifted to a more flirtatious one. "Well, too bad for you. I'm done." He then walked past her, "It's all yours and I'll make us some coffee."

Neo looked disappointed for a second before she had her mischievous smirk in place. "And put some clothes on when you come out, not just a towel." Her smirk faltered for a second. "And not just your underwear." That made her pout as she closed the door behind her.

Jaune grabbed his shirt off the queen-sized bed before he left his bedroom. He entered the massive living room. It was set up similar to Gin's house, with the tv and entertainment stand right by his door. The entire floor was carpeted with three couches surrounding it and a coffee table set on top of it. In between the couches were end tables. The right of where he was standing was the front door, which was locked, with a mat on either side of the door for shoes and coat racks. Across from him was the kitchen that was separated by a wall but with most of the middle cut out so anyone in either room could see into the other. To the left were the stairs that led to the second floor. That floor consisted of six bedrooms and three bathrooms. The rooms had twin beds in each, so three full teams could stay here if they wanted.

Jaune snorted at that, "Yeah, right." Not many would stay here. The only ones he could think of were Qrow and his girlfriends. No, ex-girlfriends. He corrected sadly. That's when he saw a white electric guitar with gold accents siting on one of the couches connected to a small amp. Curious, Jaune walked over and laid his shirt over the same couch. He picked it up, to see a note tucked into the strings with a pick. He took both and saw the note was from Qrow. It simply read: Happy Birthday Kid. Jaune smirked, "Few weeks early." He said to himself.

He strummed the guitar before he readjusted the strings to get it back in tune. After that, he started to play randomly. Even though he hadn't played in nearly two years, he was playing almost perfectly. After a few minutes of playing, the rust that he had acquired was gone. He smiled slightly before he realized that he was playing a song he learned when Amber died. He frowned and stopped playing for a few seconds. "Screw it." He said disheartened. He fished out his scroll and looked for the same song he was playing, except without the guitar or vocals. He placed it on the end table, sat on the arm of the couch and started to sing.

 **(Play UNRAVEL sung by Jonathan Young)**

 _Oh, can you tell me, can you tell me the way the story ends?  
A monster in my heart  
A ghost inside my chest  
I'm broken down, the world around us  
Surround my suffering  
You smile and laugh at me  
But you don't see a thing_

With that he started to play his guitar. His fingers playing the familiar song he knew all too well. He stopped just before singing the lyrics again,

 _Damaged and broken as I am_

 _I'm trying not to breathe  
Unraveled, I'm not unraveled by  
The truth I finally see, freeze_

 _I'm breakable, unbreakable_  
 _I'm shakeable, unshakeable_  
 _Unraveling since I found you_

He started to play again but continued singing.

 _And now I'm turning to dust in a world that's twisted  
Don't come searching when I go missing  
Close your eyes or just try to look away  
Don't want to hurt you  
We live in a world someone else imagined  
The ghost of what's left of me all but vanished  
Remember my heart, how bright I used to shine_

He stopped playing again as the music continued, shaking his head to stop the tears from forming in his eyes. Trying to reign in his volatile emotions.

 _Entangled in the loneliness  
The memory of innocence  
It's stinging me, it's breaking me  
The pain is spreading endlessly_

Again, he started to play.

 _I cannot move, I close my eyes  
I try to breathe, I realize -  
I'm paralyzed, I'm paralyzed  
UNRAVEL THE WORLD_

The last line was pretty much screamed as all his frustrations and pain were finally released and fed into his guitar playing. Before he had to stop for the next part of the song.

 _I'm not what I was then  
Don't touch the infection  
Entwined we will both die  
So stay away, and stay alive  
I'm breakable, unbreakable  
I'm shakeable, unshakeable  
Unraveling, I won't infect you!_

He nearly shouted the last line again as he played once again.

 _Now I'm turning to dust in a world that's twisted  
Don't come searching when I go missing  
Close your eyes or just try to look away  
Don't want to hurt you  
We live in a world someone else imagined  
The ghost of what's left of me all but vanished  
Remember my heart, how bright I used to shine_

A few tears escaped with that a she continued to play. The next lines came out as him practically begging,

 _Please, just don't forget me...  
Just don't forget me  
Just don't forget me  
Just don't forget me  
Don't forget me_

 _We live in a world someone else imagined  
The ghost of what's left of me all but vanished  
Remember my heart, how bright I used to shine_

More tears escaped as he stopped playing and started to sing brokenly,

 _Oh, can you tell me?  
Oh, can you tell me?  
A monster in my heart  
And now there's nothing left..."_

With the song over, Jaune just sat there with the guitar in his lap and the tears still falling from his eyes. He had no idea how long he stayed like that, but he was pulled from his pain when he heard someone knocking on his door. He quickly wiped away his tears and sat his guitar down, so it was leaning against the couch. He picked up his scroll and walked to his door. Considering the person didn't open the door, it was most likely Qrow. No one else ever came out here and he was staying there temporarily. So, to mess with the Huntsman, Jaune asked Ozpin to not let his scroll unlock the door. With a smirk Jaune started to open the door while saying, "Back already, Qrow? What did the bars kick yo –" he cut himself off there.

Standing there were his ex-girlfriends and his honorary siblings, still in their uniforms. All had reddish eyes and moist cheeks. They clearly heard him play. "Uh, what are you all doing here?" he asked nervously.

None of them responded, mostly because the five girls were staring at Jaune's body. The door was blocking the left side of his chest and stomach, but they could still see his muscled torso and arm. He used to be toned but now, it was similar to an Olympic athlete. The muscles were firm but not too bulgy, the perfect mix of strength and speed. They all came out of their stupor when Ren cleared his throat, "We wanted to talk to you, Jaune. But, could you put a shirt on?"

Jaune looked down and his eyes widened slightly, "Right, sorry about that. Just got out of the shower." He turned away from the door to walk into the building. Ruby noticed a blur of colors on the left side of his chest as he turned around. "Come on in, just leave your shoes on the mats."

They all walked in and took in the nicety of his temporary home while taking off their shoes. Ruby was still looking at Jaune though, still curious about that weird assortment of color. He was now by the couch and was raising his black shirt to put it on. When he did, she saw what the color was, and her eyes widened. She used her Semblance to clear the distance between the two, while almost sending Weiss to the ground with her usual, 'Hey!' Jaune was shocked when he felt the wind blow past him and felt something grab his shirt. He looked to see Ruby staring. "Ruby? What're you-" he followed her gaze and he felt his heart sink slightly.

"What's up, sis?" Yang asked as they all walked over to him. They all saw what she was looking at and they were all shocked by the sight. They saw the old scar that ran across his chest and the newer one that was just to the left of his naval. It was almost perfectly vertical and was half a foot wide. That was the scar Cinder left him. But what they were looking at was the bullet scar over his heart. Or more accurately, the five symbols around it, forming a pentagon. It was their emblems in their color. Yang's was at the top, Weiss' was on his right, Blake's was on his left, Pyrrha's was on the bottom right corner and Ruby's was on the left-bottom corner. They were all in shock and Yang had a small smile, "So, that was the tattoo Qrow was talking about."

Jaune groaned as he turned to the ceiling, "Damn it, Qrow."

"Why'd you get it?" Ruby asked innocently.

Jaune looked at them all before he sighed. "Fighting every day, trying to help Oz and Qrow….it was getting harder to keep moving forward." He looked at the tattoo. "I needed something to remind me of what I was fighting for. Why I was doing all of it."

The girls were all stunned by this and Pyrrha was close to tears. That's when Nora spoke up, "What me and Ren aren't good enough to have tattoos?" she asked annoyed.

Jaune just smirked at her, "Of course not." He turned his back to them and pointed at his left shoulder blade with his thumb. Where the scar on his back from the gunshot was, were two more emblems. Nora's on the right and Ren's on the left. He looked over his shoulder to them, "Seemed appropriate since you two always had my back."

Nora had a huge smile with that and Ren had his own smaller one. "So, why did you get ours on your chest?" Blake asked but suspected the answer.

Jaune turned his head to face forward, "Because my heart belonged to you five." He said quietly as he finally pulled his shirt over his head. Although, he wasn't quiet enough because they all heard him. "I was going to make coffee, make yourselves at home." Was all he said as he made his way to the kitchen.

Jaune came back a few minutes later with a tray with several mugs on them. He saw that the seven of them had sat themselves on the couches across from the door and by the kitchen. So, he set the tray on the coffee table and moved to the couch by the stairs. He started to pick up mugs and hand them out. "Okay, hot chocolate for Ruby and Nora." Nora gave him a beaming smile and Ruby gave him her usual one. "Tea for Blake and Ren." Both giving him small but grateful smiles in return. "And coffee for the rest of us. There's sugar and cream, so help yourselves." As he finished handing Pyrrha, Weiss and Yang their mugs and they added what they wanted to it. Jaune grabbed his, leaving one on the tray. He sat down on the last couch by himself and drank his coffee with a sigh. This was his first cup in months, he ran out in the early months of being in the badlands.

There was an awkward silence for a while. All of them just drinking their beverages. Jaune eventually had enough, "So, what brings you all here?" They al looked at him. "Last time we saw each other, you made yourselves pretty clear on how you felt about me." He said this in a neutral tone, so none of his emotions could seep through.

They all looked away in some way. He didn't push the subject and drank more of his coffee. They'd say what they wanted soon enough. Eventually, Ruby was the one to speak up. "Uncle Qrow came by and he explained to us everything." Jaune froze at that. "How you've been hurting and why you had to stay away."

Jaune turned to the side, "Meddlesome, old bird." He muttered.

"Jaune." He turned back to Ruby, who was slightly teary eyed. "We are so sorry for jumping to that conclusion. We were hurt and angry. We didn't even think of why you did what you did. Or how much it was hurting you as well." She sniffled.

"Ruby, please don't do that." She looked back to him. "I maybe a Grimm killing expert but you crying is still something I can't stand to see." He gave her a reassuring smile. She wiped her tears away and gave him a smile in return. He sighed, "Besides, it really doesn't matter. Even if you all know about me and why I did this….nothing really changes."

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked a bit stiffly.

Jaune placed his coffee on the table and leant forward, his hand together as he rested his arms on his legs. "I'm involved in something deep. There are secrets that most people on Remnant have no idea about. And the Maidens are just the tip of that massive iceberg." He could see them all stiffen with that, but his eyes never moved from the mug in front of him. "When you know what I know, everything changes. And no matter how much you want for things to go back to the way they were, they won't. You are pushed into the _real_ world with no way back."

He lowered his head to stare at the ground. "I don't want any of you to be a part of this. Ever. You all have bright futures ahead of you. Or maybe if you believe in what Pyrrha does, a destiny to accomplish. But, something gets taken from you when you join in what I have. You have to give something up. Most times, it eventually becomes your life that you must sacrifice." He let the silence linger before he finished what he had to say, "I want you all to live your lives to the fullest. And if you follow me, you won't be able to. So, please, just do me this last favor and let me go."

There was deafening silence after he said that. He refused to look up, it would just make this all harder. Once they left, they'd be safe. He closed his eyes and waited but wasn't expecting what came next. "Nope."

Jaune looked up in confusion at Ruby, "Nope?"

"Nope." Ruby replied simply. "We're not just going to let you keep hurting yourself."

"Ruby, I appreciate what you're trying to do. But, trust me this is for the best." He tried to reason with her.

"Nope!" she denied.

Jaune groaned in annoyance as he ran a hand down his face, "Monty Oum in a handbag."

"I'm agreeing with my sister." Jaune's eyes snapped over to Yang. "Hey, I know a thing or two about being overprotective and that's exactly what your doing. But we don't need it. So, we aren't going anywhere. Besides, I need to punish you for leaving us for so long." She gave him her trademark smirk with a wink.

"This isn't about me being overprotective." Jaune spoke up sternly. "The Fall was just the beginning and things can and probably will get much worse. We all barely got out by the skin of our teeth. Next time you all may not be that lucky."

"You have a point." Weiss said as she crossed her arms. "But we have a better chance of making it out alive, together. You going out and doing this whole 'lone wolf' thing isn't helping anyone. And we all know what you will do if you have no one watching out for you."

Jaune had to stop himself from glaring, "I can take care of myself just fine. Have been for a while. And considering what happened to you all when you though I died, I don't wanna think about what'll happen if you get involved in this. Plus, the Drakes will probably become more of a problem soon and you four didn't do so well against the one you saw."

"You're not the only one that had to get stronger." Blake spoke up. "And speaking of the Drake, you were in pretty poor condition after that fight. It seems you need us just as much as we need you." She then put on her classic glare, "So stop acting like an asshole just to push us away. We aren't leaving."

"Ahhh!" he shouted as he stood up. "None of you have any idea on what's going on. And any info you do have, is just the bare basics. You're skilled but that won't help you out there. You're not the first teams that were special. The last team to get involved in, didn't work out too well. One just ran away, another dead and the last two broken beyond what anyone should've been. And you seven could end up way worse. For once, just stop being stubborn and listen to me."

They didn't know what to say. But Ren tried, "Jaune, you can't make this decision for us. We want to help you, we don't want to lose you again."

Jaune didn't know what to say. He just wanted to grab his gear and get away from this situation. Away from them. To just fall under the radar again so they wouldn't find him. Even if it tore his heart out to do so again. He'd live with it and more importantly, they would too.

He was shocked when he felt someone grab his hand. He looked to see it was Pyrrha, who hadn't said a thing since she arrived. She had her head down. "I'm sorry." She said just above a whisper. That just confused him. She looked up at him and she was crying. "I wasn't strong. You would've been so disappointed in me. I wasn't Pyrrha Nikos, top of the year Huntress in training. I was just…"

Jaune squeezed her hand, to stop her, "Pyrrha, it's okay." He said to her reassuringly. "You had every right to be hurt and vulnerable, don't put that blame on yourself." He slowly raised his other hand and gently wiped away her tears. "That was because of me. I was the idiot that left."

With that, she couldn't hold back anymore. She surged forward and captured his lips and pulled him close. That shocked everyone in the room, no one more so than Jaune. His eyes were wide. His mind was overloading, he was being kissed by Pyrrha, one of the women he loved more than anything. His mind was telling him to do what he needed to. Push her away. Break the kiss. Let her go.

But he didn't. He couldn't. As he said on the recording, he wasn't strong enough. He was so tired of putting up this front. These walls around his heart. And with that, a tear slid down his cheek and those all came down. He closed his eyes and returned the kiss as he held her just as close.

The kiss lasted a while, neither tried to go further. They just wanted to bask in the feeling of kissing the other after so long. They eventually pulled away to breathe and they just stared into the other's eyes. They soon smiled. Jaune eventually closed his eyes, "That's cheating." She just giggled and placed her forehead against his.

"Now you know how I felt all those times." Ruby spoke up. The two turned to look at her and the other's, all had a variety of grins or smirks.

Jaune just looked at all of them. He knew he shouldn't do what he was going to do next. But, he was just too tired to care anymore. Physically, mentally and emotionally. Plus, this standoff would just keep going on. They were all dead set on this."Well, looks like I lost. And if you're all positive about this…we'll talk to Oz tomorrow."

They looked at him stunned, "Are you kidding me?!" Yang shouted. "After all of that, if one of us kissed you, you would've agreed?!"

Jaune just looked at her, "Not really. I was getting warn down since coming here. I was probably would've caved, eventually." He gave her a shit eating grin. "Pyrrha just gave me a little extra incentive to do so sooner."

Yang was interrupted when Jaune's bedroom door opened. They all turned to see Neo, with damp hair and her wearing just the dress shirt to her Beacon uniform. Luckily it was long enough to hide her underwear. She looked to Jaune with what would've been a flirtatious smirk. But that fell when she realized they weren't alone. Her eyes went wide, and she gained a very deep blush.

Jaune just smirked at that reaction and couldn't resist. "Well, I told you to put some clothes on after your shower. Guess this is karma."

With that said, Neo snapped out of her stupor and quickly slammed the door in embarrassment. The others were stunned and more so when Jaune let go of Pyrrha to double over. He was laughing like a maniac. "Oh, my Oum! That was great!" He looked at the others while he was still laughing. "She can be worse than Yang with her teasing. But that reaction was totally worth it!" He collapsed onto the couch while trying to breath. Apparently, his laughter was contagious because the others were soon joining him.

Meanwhile, Neo was leant against the door and could hear them all. She couldn't help the genuine smile stretch across her face at that sound and a few tears escaping her eyes. 'It's so good to hear him being himself again.' She thought to herself. She then went to go put on the rest of her uniform before she went to join them.

* * *

 **A/N- The song was Unravel but this specific version was song by Jonathan Young, go check him out. That version made so much sense because it explained Jaune so well after the Fall up to this point. Anyways teh next chapter should explain a bit more about how Neo met Jaune and their relationship. See you all then!  
**


	6. Truths Revealed

Jaune spent the rest of the night catching up with his friends. More so when Neo rejoined them in regular clothes. They shared what they had been up to since the Fall up to the new semester started. That included a few embarrassing stories about Neo as Jasmine, Ruby and Nora. Which he laughed over until the three women sent him glares. He was shocked to find out that his parents had actually adopted Ren and Nora during that time. They were now Lie Ren-Arc and Nora Valkyrie-Arc, making them his siblings officially now. And that brought an unrestrained smile to his face.

Jaune shared some on his missions he had with Qrow, none that were linked in any way to Salem. They were having a good time and he didn't want to bring the mood down with that. They all were interested in his retellings since they were more legitimate missions than the ones they were currently going on. Ruby and Nora were really into it but that was a shock to no one.

They were interrupted when Jaune's stomach growled loudly followed by Weiss', which embarrassed the heiress. Jaune just chuckled and said he'd start on dinner for everyone. He tossed the remote to the tv to Yang and told them to enjoy themselves. Jaune went to the kitchen to start on the chicken stir fry he was planning for the night. He could hear Ruby and Yang fighting over what they'd watch and just chuckled more. 'Some things never change.' He thought to himself.

"Need a hand?" he heard a masculine voice say and looked over his shoulder to see Ren.

He grinned, "Sure." Ren then came over to wash his hands before he started to cut vegetables with him. After a few minutes of quiet, Jaune spoke up, "You guys seemed to forgive me a little too easily."

Ren stopped cutting for a second before resuming, "And you're shocked by that? Nora and I grew up with you, so your reasoning isn't that big of a surprise to us. And the others still love you. We understand why you felt like you had to go to such extreme measures. I'm over it. But the others are going to get revenge at some point. Especially, Nora. But the girls will probably wait until you get back together with them."

That caused Jaune to accidentally cut his finger. "Damn it." He hissed as he pulled his hand away from the food. He looked to see blood coming from the cut across his left index finger, his aura offered no resistance to stop the injury.

"Are you okay?" Ren asked.

Jaune quickly sent his aura to heal the cut immediately before returning to his task. "Yeah, my aura's kinda weak right now because of today. I cut myself but it's okay now." Ren nodded and bought Jaune's half-lie. His aura was weak but not exactly from the day's work. Plus, getting back together with those five, he still wasn't sure about that. They still didn't know about the other reason he didn't come back sooner. No one did, not even Qrow or Neo.

That's when they heard a crash and he turned to look through the opening in the wall to see that a couch was flipped over with Yang, Ruby, Nora and Neo having a standoff with each other. The remote was in the center of the ground between them. The other three were sitting on one of the other couches and watching with amusement. Jaune sighed and whistled loudly, making them jump and turn to him. "Do you mind? It may be temporary, but this is still my home." They look down sheepishly before he ducked back into the kitchen, before shouting back. "And if you break anything, _you're_ the one paying to replace it. That goes for you three on the couch too." He walked back to Ren, who was chuckling. Jaune just shoved him with his shoulder with a grin. He missed this.

Once they were done with the preparations, Jaune carried in the wok with a couple of pot holders and Ren followed with a stack of plates and silverware. He was glad to see that the couch was now right side up again. The food was placed on the coffee table and the food was served to all of them. Although, Neo would've preferred ice cream, but she knew Jaune wouldn't let her until she ate dinner. The others were happily digging into their plates. They all nearly forgot how good Jaune's cooking was. They had some random conversations as the tv was playing on in the background. When they were done, Jaune got up to clean the dishes but Pyrrha and Ruby beat him to it, saying he had done enough. Nora wanted to help as well but Ren stopped her because she usually accidentally broke the dishes when she washed them.

Eventually the night ended, curfew was soon, and they had to get back to the dorms. Before they left, Jaune had them present their scrolls to the scanner, letting them unlock the door whenever. They wished him a good night and left. Nora gave him a patented hug and Ren patted his shoulder. Pyrrha gave him a quick peck on the lips and Ruby did the same to his cheek. Yang gave him a flirtatious wink and smirk while Blake gave him her usual small smile. Weiss looked unsure on what she should do, so he just gave her a reassuring smile and she nodded. He smiled at that and closed the door with a sigh as they all left.

He looked back to see that Neo had fallen asleep on the couch. He sighed again, he would wake her, but he learned a long time ago to never wake a sleeping Neo. Plus, she looked adorable curled up on the couch with a content grin on her face. He went to the closet by the stairs to grab an extra blanket and pillow. He gently lifted her head and placed the pillow under her. Then draped the blanket over her. Jaune then gently started to stroke her hair because she looked like she'd wake up. But luckily, she just snuggled into the blanket as her grin turned into a smile. Jaune chuckled quietly before he kissed the side of her hair, "Good night, Neo." He whispered.

He turned off the tv and was about to do the same with the lights but stopped when he heard someone banging on the door. Jaune was confused for all of two seconds before he sighed and rolled his eyes. He walked over to it and opened it to see Qrow almost fall onto his face. Luckily, he caught himself. He turned and squinted at Jaune, "Kid!" he said happily.

"Shush." Jaune ordered with a finger to his lips. He then pointed to Neo, "Unless you wanna wake her up."

Qrow looked at him confused before he sluggishly turned to see Neo on the couch. His eyes widened slightly before he turned back to Jaune. He put his finger to his lip and replied with a, somehow, slurred, "Shhh."

Jaune ran a hand down his face with that, "Just take off your shoes and head up to your room." Qrow gave him a mocking salute before he started to try to kick his boots off. But as he did, he lost his balance and fell forward and knocked over a coat rack. Jaune, luckily, caught it before it hit the ground. He set it back up and sent a glare at the drunken Huntsmen. He lazily shrugged so Jaune walked over to him and threw Qrow's arm over his shoulder. He then escorted him to the stairs, "How much did you drink?" he said quietly.

Qrow looked like he was thinking about it, "Don't know. Usual?"

"So, too much." Jaune replied coolly.

"That hurts, Kid." He slurred but Jaune knew him well enough to understand him. As they were going up the stairs, he spoke up again, "So, how was your night? You looked happy."

Jaune just grinned, "Well, the others stopped by. And your little scheme worked. Everything seems to be back to normal. Or close to it."

Qrow grinned, "Good to hear. You can thank me anytime."

Jaune rolled his eyes as he opened the door and walked in with his sword master. "Right. Thank you, you dusty old bird."

Qrow just glared at him, "Hey, don't call me old."

"Yeah, yeah." They were by the bed, so he grabbed Qrow's weapon, Harbinger, and pushed Qrow forward. "Night, Qrow." He fell onto the bed and passed out almost instantly. As his snores filled the room, he placed the weapon by the bed and left, closing the door behind him. He then silently made his way back downstairs and then to his bedroom. He needed to get some sleep.

* * *

It was the next morning and RWBY were heading back to Jaune's temporary abode. They all decided to meet there before heading to Ozpin's office. The rest of JNPR would meet them later, Nora was still busy stuffing herself with pancakes. They were having some usual conversations, well Yang and Ruby were while Weiss added her two-cents every so often. And Blake just watched with an amused grin.

They finally got there, and Ruby used her scroll to unlock the door and they all saw Neo sitting on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her. She was drowsy and just blinking slowly. The WBY of RWBY weren't sure on what to do or say, but Ruby did. She waved to half asleep ex-terrorist. "Morning, Neo."

Neo blinked and looked to where her friends, at least that's what she saw them as, and waved back with a silent yawn. They all walked in and took off their shoes, "Is Jaune up?" Ruby asked. Neo looked around tiredly and when she didn't see him, shrugged. "Did you just get up?" She nodded tiredly.

Ruby just nodded and started to go to the kitchen. "Where ya going, Rubes?" Yang asked.

She turned back to her sister, "I'm going to get coffee ready. We all know that Jaune needs it in the morning." She said with a giggle.

Yang gained her smirk, "Oh, I see. My little sister is trying to be the perfect girlfriend. Trying to get something out of him?"

Ruby blushed, "Yang, stop! I'm just trying to do something nice for him." She started to speed walk to the kitchen with that.

Yang chuckled, and Blake playfully rolled her eyes. Weiss gave a sigh, "I'll go with her. We don't need her burning it." She then walked off to follow her partner.

"That was one time, Weiss!" Ruby answered from the kitchen.

The bumblebee pair looked at each other, "Should we check to see if he's up?" Blake asked.

Yang shrugged, "Why not?" she then walked to his bedroom door with Blake right behind her. They were shocked by what they saw when they opened it. His bed was perfectly made, like he hadn't slept in it. And on the floor beside it was Jaune with a pillow. He had his left hand on his chest and his right was lying next to him. The two turned back to each other, "Why?" Yang asked her partner, who answered with a shrug.

They quietly walked over to him and Yang just looked at his sleeping face. It quickly reminded her of when she did something similar in their first year. It was from that, that she realized she loved him. She smiled to herself. 'I'll wake him up more gently this time.' She thought as she gave her partner a look.

Blake raised an eyebrow, questioning her. That's when Yang slowly knelt to straddle him and as she did she started to lean forward to kiss him. Blake's eyes widened, and she remembered something very important. In a quick whisper she started, "Yang, that may not be a good idea!"

That's when Jaune's eyes snapped open but you could tell he wasn't fully awake. He jerked forward and grabbed Yang's thigh with his right hand as he spun, reversing their positions. He then used his left hand to pin Yang to the ground by grabbing her breast. Yang gave a startled yelp and stared up at him in shock. He just looked at her with dazed eyes as he quickly pulled his right fist back and channeled aura into it, making it glow dark purple. He was bringing his fist down when Blake grabbed his arm by the elbow, stopping him. "Jaune, stop!"

Jaune did and slowly turned his head to look at Blake. He blinked twice before the daze left his eyes. He stared at Blake for a second and was confused. "Blake? What's- " He was cut off when he squeezed with his other hand and heard a small moan. He quickly turned to see his position and that Yang was pinned under him. Then the sensation of his aura being channeled into his fist came to his tired mind and he realized what almost happened. He gasped and jumped away from both of them. He stopped when his back met the wall with enough force to dent it.

The two just stared at him, after Yang sat up. He was breathing raggedly and had his hand over his face. "Oum damn it. I almost…I almost…" he cut himself, not wanting to vocalize what he almost did.

Yang slowly got off the ground and walked over to Jaune, who refused to look at her. "Jaune." He flinched at her voice. "Look at me."

He hesitantly removed his hand and made eye contact with Yang. She just gave him a reassuring look, "I'm okay. You didn't hurt me."

"But I almost did." He said in a hateful tone. "If Blake didn't stop me-" he was cut off when Yang placed her hand over his mouth. He looked to see her giving him an even glare.

"Listen to me. I am okay. You didn't hurt me, and I should've known better than to wake you up like that. You did spend six months in the badlands, after all. Of course, it wouldn't be a good idea to wake you up like I was planning to." She gave him a light smile, "So no moping, okay?"

He slowly nodded, and she took her hand away. He gently took it in his own and before she could say anything, he left a feather light kiss on the back of it. "I'm sorry…thank you." Yang felt that his hand was shaking slightly, so she just wrapped him in a hug. He went rigid for a second or two before he returned it.

They stayed like that for a bit until Blake cleared her throat, "The others are waiting for us. You may wanna get ready, Jaune."

He nodded and slowly pulled away from Yang. "Good point. Just need to get dressed." He walked over to the closest as he pulled the shirt off, causing the two to blush slightly. He reached into his closet and pulled out a long sleeved black shirt. He put it on before dropping his pajama pants and pulling out some black pants. He threw them on. He reached for his next piece of clothing, but he saw the two still staring at him. He raised an eyebrow, "What? I've dressed in front of you two before, what's with the looks?"

Yang shook her head slightly, "Well, you're hotter now."

Jaune just gave her a deadpan expression. "Wow. Good to know I wasn't attractive before." He reached in and grabbed his two belts before wrapping them around his waist, crisscrossing them.

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it." Yang defended herself with a light glare.

Jaune was pulling on his gloves as he smirked at her, "Do I?" That's when he pulled out his grey chest plate and pulled it over his head. Then one of his vambracers and placed it on his forearm. To the girls' shock, it stayed there and reached for the other one. "There are magnets woven into my clothing to keep my armor in place. They aren't too strong, so my armor is much lighter than what I used to wear. Also, not as protective." He answered their question as he put his other vambracer on.

They nodded at the explanation before they decided to ask the question that was on their minds. "Why were you on the floor?" Blake asked.

"Bed is too soft." Jaune replied after putting on his pauldrons then went for his cuisses. "I'm too used to sleeping on the ground. It feels like I'm going to sink through to the floor. Just can't sleep like that."

"So, you decided to sleep on the floor?" Yang asked in shock. She needed her sleep and couldn't imagine choosing to sleep on the ground over a bed.

Jaune shrugged before starting to put on his greaves, "Living out in the badlands plus the nightmares gave me insomnia. When I can sleep, I'm going to get as much as possible. Even if I need to sleep on the floor." He closed the closet and grabbed his scroll and sunglasses from his night stand. "Come on. Let's not keep the others waiting."

They walked out to see Neo still sitting on the couch but more awake thanks to the mug of coffee in her hands. Weiss and Ruby were sitting across from her with the reaper talking to her. She just nodded or shook her head in response. Not wanting to type on her scroll at the moment, mostly because she was still waking up. "Morning, Ruby. Morning Weiss."

Ruby turned to him with a smile, "Morning Jaune." She grabbed the mug on the table and held it out to him. "I made you coffee."

Jaune took it from her as Weiss spoke up, "I made sure she didn't burn it." She had a small grin as she said that.

Ruby just turned to her and stuck out her tongue. Jaune just chuckled and ruffled her hair slightly, "Thank you, Ruby. Means a lot." He started to walk past the couch Neo was sitting on to go to the stairs. "Morning, Neo. Sleep well?" She just gave Jaune a smiled and nodded. Jaune returned it, "Good."

By this point, he was at the base of the stairs, "Qrow! Get up or I'm getting the ice bucket!" he shouted up the stairs. That's when they heard something crash to the ground. He nodded in satisfaction. He took a sip of his coffee and sighed, "Perfect." He said out loud and Ruby beamed in pride.

"Why'd you wake up Qrow?" Yang asked.

"Well, Oz and I are going to let you all in on this. Qrow and Goodwitch should be there too. Speaking of…" Jaune explained as he pulled out his scroll to message Ozpin that they would be there soon and for what reason. Drinking his coffee as he did so. "Where are Pyr, Ren and Nora."

Weiss spoke up, "Nora was still stuffing herself with pancakes when we left."

"I shouldn't be surprised by that." He sighed with a grin.

That's when Qrow came down the stair sluggishly and in a daze, "Jaune, I have a hangover, why were you screaming?"

Jaune shrugged as he walked to the kitchen, "You decided to go drinking. Serves you right. Besides, we need to meet up with Oz. They want in." he said the last part in a serious tone. Qrow just nodded after a second, realizing how important this was. As Jaune walked by, Neo handed him her mug. He took both to the sink, after he chugged the rest of his precious coffee. When he came back, she was in her Jasmine disguise again. That's when Jaune put on his sunglasses and they became his mask again. He walked to the door and threw on his cloak, with the hood up, before they all grabbed their shoes and left to go see Ozpin.

The two Huntsmen and the five students made their way to Ozpin's office. Halfway there, they met up with the rest of JNPR, but they could all feel the slight tension between the nervous Neo and still unsure NPR. They all made it up to Ozpin's office where he and Goodwitch were waiting for them. As they entered Ozpin tapped a few commands on his desk and metal shutters came down around the various windows of his office. The students looked on confused. "Its just a precaution." Ozpin told them. "What we are about to tell you his very secretive."

"That's putting it mildly, Oz." Jaune said as his hood and glasses came off. Neo also used this opportunity to drop her illusion.

Oz nodded, "True." He then turned to the two teams in front of him. "You are sure you all want to be let into this? Jaune is right, when you hear this, there is no going back. There is no shame in not wanting to have this responsibility. It has broken people before." He warned them.

Ruby just spoke up, "We understand, Headmaster. But, we all saw what happened during the Fall. We want to stop that from happening again. Plus…" she looked down for a second. When she raised it again, her eyes darted over to Jaune before they reconnected with the Headmaster's. "Jaune has already agreed to this fight. I don't want to let him do this alone. None of us do." She said with full conviction, while the others nodded in determination. Jaune couldn't help the warm feeling spreading across his chest. He still didn't want them to be a part of this war but hearing that they wanted to fight alongside him once again, even after all the pain and grief he put them through, just made him happy.

Ozpin observed them all for a few seconds before he nodded, "Very well. I guess we'll start from the beginning." Ozpin then told the students of the Deity Brothers, the creation of the Grimm and the creations of humanity. He told them how the Relics of Knowledge, Creation, Destruction and Choice were actual items, each hidden away in a secret fault within each of the Huntsmen Academies and could only be accessed by a specific Maiden. And most importantly, the existence of Salem and her faction.

All of them were shell-shocked by what they just heard. Even Nora and Yang had nothing to say about what they just heard. It was quiet for a few minutes, the others letting them digest this new information. It was eventually broken by Jaune as he sighed, "Yeah, hearing it all sounds crazy. But its true." He started to pace a bit in front of Oz's desk again. A nervous habit he picked up some time ago. "That was the point of the Fall. Salem wanted Cinder to become her Fall Maiden and when Beacon fell, she'd be able to find the Relic of Choice. Along with that, communication would be down because of the CCT being sabotaged, the other Kingdoms would've grown distrustful of each other and the White Fang would've taken the blame while they stayed in the shadows." He stopped to run a hand through his hair, "And even if we don't know if it was by purpose or accident, the Grimm Dragon would've been running around as well." He looked at them with a half-hearted grin, "Lucky for us, I took care of a few of those things."

"Why do you keep this hidden?" Pyrrha asked. "Shouldn't the people know about this?"

"Think about it, Miss Nikos." Goodwitch spoke this time. "Do you really think people wouldn't covet for the powers of the Maidens, let alone the Relics? I don't want to imagine what that power could do in the right hands. Don't get me started on the wrong hands." She shook her head, "Some secrets are better left hidden."

They all had to agree. Nora then raised her hand, "I have a question."

"Yes, Miss Valkyrie?" Ozpin replied.

"Well, you said the Fall Maiden can access Beacon's fault to get the Relic of Choice. Well, since Jaune's Semblance came from the Fall Maiden, could he access the fault?" Nora asked.

The others looked at her in shock, that was an excellent point. They turned to Jaune. He just shook his head, "I doubt it, Nora. My Semblance may've come from the Maidens but its not what it was anymore. It has evolved and changed too much for it to be considered the same as the Maiden's."

She just looked confused so Qrow, shockingly, explained it further, "Kinda like how pancakes and waffles start out the same way but become different because of how you cook them." He took a sip from his flask.

"And even if it was a possibility, I don't wanna know the answer." Jaune finished. He created Void orb with his one hand, "I have enough power as it is."

As he did, Ren noticed that there was a purple glow surrounding the black sphere. "Jaune, what is that glow? You're Void never had that before."

He looked back to his brother, "My aura. Aura is the only thing I've found that is resistant to Void. A lot is needed to defend against it though. But my aura is immune to it completely because it creates it. So, when I need to, I can surround Void in my aura, so it doesn't destroy what it encounters. Although, it'll still do a number on someone."

"But didn't you say that a lot of your aura is needed to create Void to begin with? That's got to be exhausting for you." Ren added.

Jaune nodded, "Right again. This orb, which is my default is about an eight of my max aura." That shocked everyone but Ozpin, Qrow and Neo. "And another five percent of my aura is covering it."

"So, its safe to touch?" Nora asked. She was so curious about her brother's power. She loved explosions, but _this_ was so much cooler than those.

"Yup." He tossed it underhand towards her. "Catch."

She held out both her hands and when she caught it she almost went face first into the ground. She stopped herself and the orb from smashing into the ground. With a growl of exertion, she slowly stood back up and the orb was barely at stomach level for her. Her arms were shaking from the strain. "Holy cow! This thing is heavy!" The orb slipped from her grip and smashed into the ground. They all looked down to see it barely poking out of the floor.

They turned to Jaune as he chuckled, "Did I forget to mention that?" he said with a smirk. He pointed his palm to the buried sphere and it rose out of the floor and flew to his hand. He squeezed it and it shifted into a short sword. "It's extremely heavy but its weightless to me. Since I create it." He gave a few swings before it faded away as soon as he was done speaking.

They all just nodded except Nora, she was pouting because of Jaune's joke on her. "So, what are we going to do?" Ruby asked. "About Salem I mean."

Ozpin sighed before taking a sip of his coffee. "As of now, she has not made a move since the Fall. She would've probably used the chaos that followed to enact the next phase of her plan. So now, she is regrouping and figuring out what to do next. The best thing for us to do is to try to find the new Fall Maiden."

"Do you have any idea on where she is?" Weiss asked professionally.

"None." Qrow said. "I've been searching since the Fall and have found nothing. Cinder probably passed the power onto her lackey."

"Emerald." Ruby growled.

"Exactly." Qrow agreed. "If that's the case, she is probably with Salem which is not a good thing." He took another quick sip of alcohol from his flask.

"Are we sure she'd stay with Salem after Cinder's death?" Pyrrha asked hesitantly.

"Absolutely." Jaune answered. "Emerald was extremely loyal to Cinder, even more so than Mercury. She would most likely side with Salem to honor Cinder and to get revenge on the people you took her from her." He then shrugged, "I'd probably do the same if any of you were killed."

"So, Salem has the key, but we still have the lock then?" Yang stated.

"That would be a good analogue." Ozpin nodded.

"Why don't we just attack her?" Nora asked. "I mean, we have four different armies and Jaune."

Jaune chuckled, "Thanks for the compliment, Nora, but that won't work. Salem has control of an unfathomable number of Grimm. We'd have little chance especially since the Kingdoms barely agree on anything nowadays. Plus, I'm strong but not invincible. Every time I create Void, my aura leaves my body to form it. I lose protection to have nigh unstoppable power. To Salem, Grimm are a renewable resource. My Void and aura aren't, I'd eventually exhaust myself." That caused her to pout slightly.

"For now, you all should just go to your classes and go on as usual." Ozpin spoke up. "Until Salem makes a move or something changes the tide to our favor, we can do very little. But, with the Drakes becoming a more serious problem, we will most likely send you all along with Jaune to deal with them. Team RWBY has fought them before and your two teams work well together."

They all nodded reluctantly. They didn't like the fact that they could do nothing but could do little about that. "Is Jaune going to join us in classes?" Ruby asked hopefully.

Ozpin shook his head, "That would be impossible. Jaune Arc is still legally dead; for him to rejoin Beacon, he'd have to reveal he is alive. And he is adamant on keeping himself hidden fo rthe time being."

"I'm standing right here, y'know." Jaune gave Oz a deadpan expression.

"Also, Rien is a certified Huntsman so he cannot enroll in classes. But don't worry, there is away for him to join you in class. But I must discuss that with him first." He looked at his desk to check the time. "And you all have class in ten minutes, so I would suggest you go before you are late." He said with his usual grin.

They had no choice but to leave with that. They all told Jaune they'd see him later before they left. Jaune just turned to Ozpin with a raised eyebrow, "What are you planning now?" Jaune asked, his tone holding curiosity and trepidation. That just caused Ozpin to smirk.

* * *

 **A/N- I know I said that I'd explain more on Jaune and Neo's relationship but I decided to push that back a bit. Geez, these chapter have been A LOT of exposition. Next chapter should hopefully have more action or anything else besides exposition. Not to self: knock that off. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you all in the next update!  
**


	7. New and Old Times

RWBY and JNPR were sitting in Port's class with many other students. They were waiting for the bell to ring and the class to start. RWBY was sitting in the front row but they were currently facing backwards to chat with JNPR who was directly behind them.

They all started to enjoy Port's class more nowadays. He still bragged about his 'adventures' but they were far more believable now. Whether that was because of the Fall or this was just how he was with the older students was unknown to most of them. Ruby actually had asked CFVY about that and they confirmed that that was how he did teach the higher grades. Apparently, he used his grandiose tales to slowly ease the students into the real horrors of fighting Grimm.

Said professor was sitting at his desk, reading a book while he waited for the bell to ring. Once it did everyone turned around and the portly professor placed a book mark on the page he was on and placed it on the desk. He then stood up and walked around to the front of it, "Well, that was the bell. Today, students, I will tell you about the time I had to take down a massive pack of Beowolves. But found out, it was actually three separate packs living in harmony." He chuckled slightly, "Now, it all begins-"

He was interrupted when his scroll started to go off on his desk. The professor and every student looked at it in confusion. Port cleared his throat before reaching for it, "One moment please." He then answered the scroll, "Hello?" There was a slight pause, "Ah, Professor, what can I do for you?" Another pause. "Really? Well, that is interesting. Yes, send him over, immediately." Another pause. "Oh, he is?" He laughed slightly, "Alright then. Thank you, Ozpin." He hung up before returning the scroll to his desk.

He then turned to his confused class, "That was Professor Ozpin. He has set it up to have someone else talk to you all today about a new species of Grimm. I hope you all pay as much attention as you give me." That caused a few whispers to go across the class. Port then raised his voice, "Well, come on in!"

The entire class turned around to the door. It opened and in walked Jaune, dressed as Rien. The students stared as he walked down and stood beside Port. He held his hand out to him. " **Nice to meet you, Professor. I'm sorry for the interruption.** "

Port just laughed it off. "It's no problem. Ozpin was adamant on you talking to the students and he has never sent me astray yet. Plus, I myself am curious about this new species you have found. A potential new prey for me to hunt."

Jaune chuckled, " **Good to see somethings don't change.** " They let their hands go and Port took a seat behind his desk as Jaune turned to the class. " **Good morning. Let me introduce myself. I am Rien and I am-oomph.** " He was cut off by a blonde blur slamming into his chest. He looked down to see Neo/Jasmine hugging him tightly. He sighed, " **Really? You act like you haven't seen me in months. Its only been twenty minutes.** "

She pulled her face from his chest and looked up at him with a pout, her eyes shifting to their usual brown and pink for a few seconds. He sighed again and returned the hug as he patted her head, " **Fine, fine. You win.** " They hugged for a minute, to the shock of most of the class, before he broke the hug and gently pushed her towards her seat. She had a smile as she jumped over the front row and landed in her seat gracefully.

He cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention, again, " **As I was saying, my name is Rien and I am a Huntsman that works directly under Professor Ozpin. On a recent mission, I had discovered a new species or Grimm and he wants me to teach you all everything I know about them. Any questions?** "

There was a brief silence before Sky raised his hand, "Yeah, um, what exactly is your relationship with Jasmine?" Most of the students nodded along with that question, also curious on it.

He bowed his head in annoyance, " **Really? Tell them about a new species and their more curious about a relationship. Oum help me.** " He shook his head before he looked back up. " **If you must know, she is my younger sister. So, to all of you guys out there, think of doing anything shady with her and no one will find your body. And just to be clear, that's not a threat or promise. It's a fact.** " The air grew colder and the green lenses of his mask glowed more, making all the guys quiver in their seats. " **Am I clear?** "

All the guys in unison, stood up and at attention before answering simultaneously, "Yes, sir!"

Jaune nodded, and the temperature went back to normal. " **Good. Now, onto the lesson.** " He turned away and placed his scroll on Port's desk as a hologram of the Drake was shown to all of them. The students stared up at it in shock besides RWBY. " **Let me teach you all about the Drakes.** "

For the next hour, Jaune taught them everything he knew about the Drakes. How they fought, their weak points, how they were created and how to know the difference between the Inferior and Superior versions of it. He even went over the very little he had on the Draco. As he continued explaining these Grimm, he noticed that the students were slowly becoming disheartened by what they heard and becoming border line terrified. Even Port seemed speechless for once. When he was done talking, the room was filled with silence, " **So, any questions?** "

No one said anything for a while, until Cardin raised his hand, "How many of those things have you run into?"

Jaune looked over to him, **"Over the last six months, I've run into eight or nine of them.** " That made a chill run up his spine. Jaune turned from him to look at the hologram, " **And I've put done very single one. Nearly singlehanded.** "

That earned a few stunned gasps and he turned back to the students, " **I'm not gonna lie to you all. These Grimm are tough, probably the strongest Grimm to date. But they are** _ **not**_ **unbeatable.** " He took a breath before he continued. " **The Grimm are stepping up their game, so we must do the same. That's why this info is being sent to the other three Academies. So, we can all be prepared.** " They all still seemed nervous. **"Look to your left. Look to your right. These aren't just your classmates, they are your future brothers and sisters-in-arms. If we work together, with our bodies, minds and hearts. Hell, with our very souls, we can overcome this. Like every challenge humans and Faunus have encountered so far. I'm gonna be out there, fighting with every ounce of my strength. So, what are you gonna do? Give up? Or…"** He pointed his thumb over to the hologram behind him with a smirk under his mask, **"Are we gonna show these creatures who they're messing with?"**

There was a silence before everyone jumped from the sound of something slamming. They all turned to see Jasmine standing and her palm on the desk. She was looking at Jaune with a fire in her eyes and her usual smirk. The remaining members of NPR and RWBY did the same. Soon, a few students at a time would follow their example. CRDL being the first. But soon all the students were standing with a look of determination on their faces. Jaune smiled widely under his mask, " **That's what I thought.** "

He then felt someone give him a meaty slap on his back before he felt an arm wrap around him. He looked to his ex-professor as he laughed boisterously. "Well said, Rien. Next time you run into one of these Drakes, don't hesitate to call me. I would consider it an honor to hunt alongside you."

Jaune chuckled, " **The honor would be mine.** " The bell rang shortly after that. " **Looks like time is up. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day. If any of you want a couple of my notes on the Grimm, I will leave a copy of it with Professor Port for you to copy.** " A few students nodded and Jaune took that opportunity to slip out of the classroom and start walking down the hallway. He had a small smile under his mask, 'I can see why the Professors do this now. Maybe after my career as a Huntsman, I'll take a position here.' That caused him to chuckle. It would be a long time before that happened. Especially, with the war in the shadows happening. He sighed, " **I'd be lucky to make it that far.** "

He then heard several voices behind him and knew exactly who they belonged to. He smirked before he snuck out of Beacon and started going towards his temporary home. " **That'll annoy them.** " The bell to signal their next class then sounded and his smirk grew, " **That just added a whole new level to that.** " He the chuckled to himself.

* * *

It was now near the time that classes would get out. Jaune was sitting in his living room without his cloak and armor on. His mask was in its sunglasses form and they were hooked to the neck of his shirt for safe keeping. He was sitting on the couch across from the door. He had his arms around the back of the couch and he was looking up at the ceiling. The tv was on in the background but he lost interest in it long ago.

He felt…odd. He couldn't remember the last time he could just sit and do nothing. It was before he went into the badlands, he knew that much. A quick memory of him, Qrow and Neo sitting in a random bar and just having a good time came to him. He smiled at that for a bit. That was until his door was nearly kicked in. He looked down from the ceiling to see it was Ruby, still dressed in her uniform, and she did not seem happy. She pointed at him dramatically, "You!?"

Jaune didn't move besides raising an eyebrow, "Me."

That seemed to make her more annoyed. She slammed the door and shot across the room with her Semblance. She was then in his lap and gripping his shirt tightly. She then tried to shake him but luckily, he was a bit too strong for her to do that. "You ditched us! We wanted to talk to you and you just disappeared and we were late to Goodwitch's class! And she was _not_ happy!"

Jaune just chuckled at that image and that earned him a glare from the reaper. "Well, what do you expect? I'm supposed to be a badass Huntsman, I can't be hanging out with a bunch of students." She looked like she was going to yell but Jaune cut her off, "Ruby, I'm supposed to be undercover, remember? If you guys started to hang out with me and act very familiar when you just met 'Rien', that would be suspicious. Right now, only a few people can know who I am."

Ruby just looked at him for a bit as her anger started to simmer down. Eventually, she looked away. "I guess you have a point."

Jaune was just looking at her with a small smile before he realized how they were seated, "Uh, Ruby?' She turned back to him with a questioning look, "You do realize how you're sitting on me, right?"

She looked down and quickly realized that she was straddling Jaune with her hands still on his chest. That brought a blush to her cheeks, "Um, now I do." She said bashfully. She slowly looked back up until their eyes met. They stared at each other for a bit before she started to move closer to him. She started to close her eyes and puckered her lips, but that was when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She stopped and opened her eyes to see that Jaune was now looking away from her in shame. "What's wrong?" she asked in concern.

He didn't say anything for a while, "We shouldn't do this."

Ruby was just further confused, "But, why?"

"I don't have that right anymore." He explained.

Ruby just tilted her head, "But you kissed Pyrrha. How am I kissing you any different?"

"That was different, she caught me by surprise." He defended himself weakly. Ruby didn't look convinced, so he continued, "Ruby, I hurt you. You, Weiss, Blake, Yang and Pyrrha. I broke all your hearts and put you through so much pain. I just don't think I deserve something like this. Not after everything."

There was a silence for a minute or so. Until Ruby broke it. "Hey, Jaune?" He turned to look at her and that was when she surged forward and kissed him. Jaune was too shocked to return it and Ruby slowly pulled away with a small grin. "Got you." She giggled cutely.

Jaune just stared at her in shock, "What?"

"Jaune, I'm not mad at you for what you did. I don't think any of us are. Yes, we were hurt but you were trying to protect us. And now that we know about Salem…" she looked down slightly, "I can see why you did what you did. If she really did know you were alive then maybe she would come for us. And that is terrifying, if I'm being honest." She looked back up to meet his eyes again. "I don't hate you for that. I could never hate you because I love you. I don't think there is anything that you could do to make that change." She finished with a small smile.

Jaune just stared at her for a bit, just trying to wrap his head around this. He soon had his own small smile and moved his hand from her shoulder to her cheek. She leant into his hand as he spoke softly, "I don't know I got luckily enough for you to love me."

She just giggled in response before she moved closer to kiss him again. This time he did returned it. The kiss lasted a few seconds before they pulled apart. That didn't last for long though, because they soon came back together. The two just kept renewing the kiss, like they were making up for all the time they lost. Ruby moved her hands from his chest to around his neck and Jaune moved his to her back to pull her closer. They came together one more time and with an unspoken signal, both deepened the kiss. Both moaned slightly, savoring the taste of the other as their tongues engaged in their old dance.

That was when the door opened, and a gasp was heard throughout the room. The kissing couple's eyes went wide before they pulled apart and turned to the door. Standing there was the rest of Ruby's team and JNPR, with Yang in the lead with the biggest smirk they had seen in quite some time. "Well, well. So, _this_ is why you wanted to see Jaune after class."

Ruby blushed with that, "No, it wasn't. I was gonna give him a piece of my mind but then…" she trailed off.

"You decided to shove your tongue down his throat?" Yang asked with an evil smirk.

Ruby's blush went atomic at that point, "Don't say it like that!" she said in embarrassment.

Jaune decided to rescue her by pulling her into a hug with her head resting against his chest. "It's okay, Ruby. I'll protect you from your evil sister." He gently stroked her hair, trying to comfort her.

Ruby relaxed and her blush went back down to a reasonable level. "My Hero." She said quietly as she stuck her tongue at Yang and cuddled up to him.

Yang just rolled her eyes at her sister's antics as the rest of their friends walked into the room. Nora and Neo, after she dropped her disguise, went into the kitchen. Probably to raid the fridge. "So, Jaune." Pyrrha started speaking. "Why didn't you tell us you'd be in Port's class?" she asked as she took a seat next to him.

"Because Oz literally told me he wanted me to, twenty minutes beforehand." He said in exasperation at the Headmaster's antics. "He even recorded the lecture I gave to send that to the Academies as well. I swear that man likes to torment me."

"Well, you have to admit, it is fun to do." Blake said with a small grin, as she sat down on the couch across from the one Jaune and the two redheads were sitting on.

Jaune just gave her a look, "What happened to the whole, if I ever needed it, you'd protect me, thing?"

She just looked at him before she shrugged with her grin turning into a smirk, "I don't sense any danger here."

He just groaned and buried his face into the top of Ruby's head. "No, the kitten's gone feral!" he moaned into Ruby's hair. He took in her scent to try to comfort himself.

Ruby blushed slightly at that but tightened her hug a bit more. "There, there. I'm still here."

"So, what should we do now?" Yang asked as she lounged on the same couch as Weiss and Blake. "I don't mind us relaxing here like yesterday but that might get boring after a while."

Nora jumped through the hole in the wall and rolled into a standing position before she shot up into the air with her hand raised. "Why don't we all go down to Vale for a night out?! The weekend's started and we haven't done that in forever!"

Ren nodded, not even batting an eye at his girlfriend's antics. "That would be a nice change. But what would Jaune do? He can't walk around like this and his mask draws a lot of attention."

That brought up a good point and everyone started to think of what to do or something else to occupy their time. "I'm okay with that." They all turned to look at him in shock. "It'd be nice to have a night on the town."

"But how are you going to hide?" Weiss asked.

Jaune just gave them a grin before he closed his eyes. Before anyone could ask, his hair started to sway like there was wind blowing through it. As that was happening, the roots of his hair started to turn black before they slowly went to the tips. After a few seconds, his hair was completely black, and he opened his eyes to see their shocked expressions. "Like this." He said simply.

Ruby instantly broke the hug to stare at his hair intently, "How did you do that?" she then started to run her hands through it. It felt as soft it usual did but slightly different. Like there was some sort of energy running through it.

Jaune just hummed slightly, "It's Void. I can channel it through my hair to change it to black. Still not entirely sure how it works but I'm not exactly complaining." He looked at everyone as Ruby kept playing with his hair. "Before you ask, I started wearing my mask because even with my hair and eye color being altered, my face and voice are still the same. There was still a chance someone would recognize me. Although, with all the time that has passed since the Fall, the only people that should recognize me now would be people who knew me pretty well beforehand." They nodded at that. "Ruby, please stop."

She blushed and pulled her hands away with a sheepish laugh. "Well, why don't you all go change into your usual clothes and I'll meet you at the bullhead?"

"That sounds like a plan." Ruby said as she jumped off his lap. "Let's get going everyone." They all said goodbye and left to get changed.

After a few seconds, he realized something. "Hey, Neo!" The shorter women walked in from the kitchen with a bowl of ice cream in her hands and the spoon still in her mouth. She tilted her head at him. "You wanna come with us? Should be an interesting time?"

She had a contemplative look as she moved the handle of the spoon to either side of her mouth. She eventually had a sad look in her eyes as she slowly shook her head. Jaune saw this and frowned. He gently patted the couch next to him. She took the spoon out of her mouth and put it back in the bowl as she walked over and sat next to him. She then leant against him with her head resting on his arm. He wrapped his left arm around her and gently rubbed her left arm. "You can't keep avoiding them. You know that, right?"

She slowly nodded as she stared at her ice cream, not wanting to look him in the eyes. "What if we told them?" Her head shot up to look at him. Her eyes turned white for a few seconds before they reverted to the usual brown and pink. "Hey, hey. Relax. Look, they don't know anything about how we got to be like this, besides the bare basics that Qrow told them. It was enough for Ruby and Nora, but the others need more time. But, if we were to explain everything, they may come around quicker." He tilted his head slightly, "Wouldn't that be better?"

She looked down and nodded hesitantly, "Neo." He said gently, and she looked up again. "You don't have to worry so much. They aren't going to judge you too harshly for your past. It may not be as clean as you'd like but that doesn't matter. You're trying to make amends now. Besides, I'm not exactly a saint either." He gave her a reassuring smile.

She gave him a grateful one in return. She then put her ice cream on the coffee table and hugged him. He returned the gesture while gently stroking the top of her head and running his fingers through her long, multicolored hair. "You're welcome. We'll wait a bit and find the best time to tell them, sound good?" she nodded into his chest after a few seconds.

They sat like that until he had to leave. She begrudgingly let him go and he put his sunglasses on but kept them in that form. "Well, I should get going. Behave yourself and eat something besides ice cream for dinner." She pouted when she heard that. He chuckled and closed the door behind himself. He then made his way to the air docks.

By the time he got there, the rest of his former team and RWBY were waiting for him. Yang saw him and smirked, "Finally! What kept you?"

He shrugged, "Had to take care of something. Besides, you didn't need to wait up for me."

Weiss raised an eyebrow at him, "Really? Then how would you get down to Vale without a bullhead?"

Jaune smirked, "I have my ways, Sassy."

Weiss puffed out her cheeks and turned away from him with a huff, which just had the others snickering a bit. Until Ruby got their attentions, "Alright, enough teasing Weiss. Teams RWBY, NPR and…Rien, are about to set off on a night of adventure in Vale! Banzai!" She raised her fist into the air when she shouted the last part.

"Banzai!" her teammates and NPR shouted after her, while also raising their own fists. They all turned to look at him expectantly. He just sighed with smirk before he slowly raised his own fist, "Banzai."

* * *

After they got to Vale they discussed what they wanted to do. It was four, so they decided to do some window shopping for and an hour or so before going on to see a movie most of them wanted to see. Followed by dinner at a decent restaurant and finally, a few hours at a nightclub.

They went window shopping and they picked up their usual supplies. Ren had to pick up some more ingredients for pancakes and oil for StormFlower, Ruby got a couple more upgrades for Crescent Rose and Raikiri, Pyrrha needed a new whetstone and polish, and Blake had to pick up a few more books and Jaune was happy to see she had a comic or two in her pile. Yang and Weiss picked up more hair care products, those two had bonded over their extreme maintenance of their respective locks. Nora had to drop off her main bomber jacket, she was wearing a spare that was nearly identical, at a tailor to get it fixed after their latest mission.

Weiss had to pick up some dust, along with Ruby and Blake. Meanwhile, everyone except Weiss and Jaune, needed to pick up some ammo for their weapons. After that, Ren and Jaune were dragged away by the girls to do some clothes shopping. They resigned themselves with a sigh, but they were used to it. They had to deal with the Arc sisters, after all. They eventually finished up and had everything they had bought sent to Beacon, so they wouldn't have to lug it around for the rest of the night. Jaune really didn't see anything he needed or wanted so he just had random conversations with all of them as the others were shopping.

After that, the eight of them went to the movie theater to go see the latest superhero movie. They all wanted to see it, although Weiss would try to weakly deny it. They all wanted to see their favorite heroes beat the crap out of each other. Jaune bought everyone their drinks, popcorn and any other snacks they wanted. He insisted since they spent a lot on their shopping. They then made their way to the theater and found their seats to prepare themselves for the action packed movie.

They all walked out of the movie, nearly three hours later, completely satisfied with it. Nora and Ruby were reenacting some scenes with fake sound effects, while Ren and Yang were making sure they didn't break anything or run into anyone. Meanwhile, the rest of them were discussing the movie and their favorite parts. Weiss was also getting involved in the discussion with as much enthusiasm as the rest of them.

They all went to a nice, but not fancy, Mistralian restaurant. They sat down at two tables next to each other. RWBY sat at one while the reunited JNPR sat at the other. They all ordered their dinners and ate while having some light conversations. Afterwards, they decided to order some small desserts to split between their partners. It was no shock that Jaune and Pyrrha had a very chocolatey dish, much to the champion's utter joy. They all chipped in to pay and Jaune left a little extra for a tip for their waitress.

They all went to the nightclub afterwards. It was a bit better than Junior's. It had booths to sit and relax and a giant dance floor. They all found a booth and ordered drinks. Although, only Jaune, Yang and Weiss ordered anything alcoholic. Rum and Coke, Strawberry Sunrise and red wine respectively. They all resumed talking until a song came on and Yang, literally, dragged Jaune onto the dance floor. The two started dancing and laughing with a few of the other patrons that were doing the same.

After a few songs, Jaune and Yang had huge smiles on their faces. That's when Nora dragged Pyrrha and Ren out there and pushed the redhead towards Jaune. The bomber then started dancing with her boyfriend, as Pyrrha looked at them with a hesitant smile. Jaune playfully rolled his eyes and held his hand out to her. That's when he started dancing with both Yang and Pyrrha, getting laughs and smiles from both. That continued for a while, until Blake eventually got bored and decided to dance with him. That gave Yang and Pyrrha a chance to rest. Weiss followed suit shortly after Blake got tired, although she tried to play it off. Weiss eventually wore herself out and Jaune thought he would be done by that point, but he was shocked and amused to see that Yang and Nora were carrying Ruby out to him, Yang had her shoulders while Nora had her legs so she couldn't kick. They tossed her into his arms before high fiving and leaving them there. He looked down at her blushing face and smiled, asking the question. She smiled back and nodded as the two began to dance. He had to admit, she danced better when she wasn't in heels. Her giggles and laughs were music to his ears.

They all left a few hours later, all slightly tired from all their dancing but none of them were drunk. Yang and Weiss had maybe two drinks. Jaune had five or six but Void made that a moot point. Honestly, he could've drank vodka and it wouldn't have done anything. They all slowly but surely made their way to the bullhead to get back to Beacon.

When they finally arrived, they decided to head back to Jaune's since they still had some time before curfew. Once they got there, he opened the door and took off his boots. His hair started to bleed back into its usual blonde as the others were taking their shoes off. He saw that the tv was still on and that Neo looked to have fallen asleep on the couch. He smirked and walked over to her. He looked at her and that smirk fell instantly. Her eyes were scrunched tight and her lips were quivering, along with her body being rigid as a board. She was having a nightmare, again.

Jaune knelt down to gently grabbed her shoulder and shook her, "Neo." As he did, she bolted up and with a gasp. She looked around in a daze with wide, white eyes. Jaune put his hand on her shoulder again and she instantly spun and grabbed his shirt, rearing back her fist. When it came forward, Jaune caught it effortlessly. She struggled until her eyes met the familiar purple of Jaune's. She froze, and her eyes eventually shifted to pink and brown. She relaxed slightly and let go of his shirt. Jaune just let go of her fist to hold out his arm and she instantly collided with him, wrapping her arms around him. She buried her face in his chest as she shook like a leaf. He held her close as the front of his shirt started to get wet. "Shhh. Its okay, Neo. I'm here. I'm here." He told her gently as he kissed the top of her head.

"Is she okay?" Jaune turned to see that Ruby had asked the question. She and her team were looking at Neo in shock and worry. Pyrrha, Ren and Nora also had looks of worry but no shock. They must've already knew about this.

Jaune nodded, "Yeah. She just had a nightmare. And by the way she is acting, a bad one." He gently started to stroke her hair as he felt her letting out muted hiccups. He looked back to his friends, "She needs me now. Sorry about the night ending like this."

Pyrrha shook her head, "We understand, Jaune. We've seen her like this before but never this bad."

Jaune nodded and was contemplating. "Can you all come back here in the morning?" He looked back at them and saw their confused looks. "I think it's time you hear the full story on Neo."

They all looked at each other before saying they would. They said goodbye and good night to him before they left, locking the door behind them. It took a few minutes after that for her to completely calm down. With one last tiny sniffle, Jaune spoke up, "You feeling any better?" she nodded into his chest. "You want to stay with me for the night?" After a few seconds, she nodded again.

Jaune used one of his arms to scoop her legs and hold her in a bridal carry, before he shut off the tv and lights. He then carried her back to his room. He moved the blankets and got under them while Neo still held onto him tightly. He covered them and gently stroked Neo's back, calming her. He didn't fall asleep until he was sure that she had.

* * *

 **A/N- Wow, it has been a while. Holy crap! Sorry about that, my life got busy in an instant and I had less time to right than I would've liked. And when I did write, Distortion and DVYL May Cry stole my attention. So, I hope this chapter makes up for that. Thank you all for the continued support on this story and I hope you will all keep enjoying it until the end. See you all in the next update!  
**


	8. Origins of Neopolitan

Jaune woke up the next morning, he went to stretch his arms, but he couldn't raise his left one. He looked down to see just the top of some pink and brown hair. He moved the blanket down to see that Neo was pressed against him and holding his arm against her chest with both of her's, like he was a giant teddy bear. He couldn't be mad though, she had the most peaceful expression on her face.

He smiled before tenderly bringing his hand to her head and gently started to pet her. She shivered and pulled herself closer to him. Her eyes then slowly opened before she blinked and looked up at him. When she saw it was him, she smiled more and laid her head on his shoulder. "Did you sleep well?" he asked, and she nodded in return. "That's good. Do you wanna shower while I get breakfast ready?" She stayed like that for a while before she huffed and nodded reluctantly.

She slowly let go of him and he sat up and stretched out the arm she had been clinging to. He looked down at her, since she was still laying on the bed. "What do you want?" Her eyes widened with hope before he dashed them. "Not ice cream." She crossed her arms and pouted up at him. He just smirked, "How about a ham and cheese omelet?"

She froze with that. She wanted ice cream, but omelets were her favorite breakfast item, especially if Jaune made it. She caved and nodded at him. He just smiled, "Thought so. Okay you get showered and dressed while I get cooking." He got up and started to walk to the door as he was saying that. As the door closed, Neo stayed in bed for a few more minutes. It was so warm and comfy. She eventually sighed and went to get a shower.

As Neo was doing that, Jaune was in the kitchen. He had the frying pan on the stove with the eggs, cheese and ham out as well. He was letting the pan heat up while he was preparing the coffee for them. He decided to make a full pot since the others were supposed to come by. If they didn't want any, well he'd drink it anyways.

Once that was set up, he went back to the stove and started to prepare the three eggs he'd need for the omelet. He mixed the eggs with a dash of salt and pepper. He poured them into the frying pan and started to chop some of the ham into cubes. He waited a bit before he added that with some of the shredded cheese. He folded the omelet before the coffee was ready. He went over and poured a mug with three sugars and cream, Neo's preference to coffee. When that was done, he went back to the stove to flip the omelet. He would leave it like that until it was done.

When it was practically done, Neo came into the kitchen. He looked to see her close her eyes and take a deep breath of coffee and eggs. When she opened her eyes, he decided to give her a show. He flipped the omelet out of the frying pan and it landed perfectly on the plate he set out. Neo clapped her hands enthusiastically, it kind of reminded him of a little kid but he decided to not vocalize it. He handed her the plate with her silverware and her mug of coffee.

Instead of taking them, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him down enough to give him a kiss on the cheek. She then grabbed her breakfast and went off into the living room. He just smiled at her as she left. He sighed, "I really do love that girl." He went back to the stove to make his own breakfast with that. He did love the multicolored hair girl but not like Pyrrha and RWBY. It was more like how he felt about Nora and Ren. She was his family, his sister, even if not by blood.

A few minutes later, he was walking into the living room with his own breakfast. He saw that Neo was sitting on one of the couches and watching something random on the television. Jaune sat down beside her and the two sat in a peaceful silence as they ate. When they were done, they sat there to let themselves digest, feeling full and satisfied. Jaune was about to get up to do the dishes but Neo had pushed him back down and took them. He was going to argue but she just gave him a look and he decided to not question her.

He sat there and relaxed as he just flipped through the channels to find something interesting. He found nothing, and Neo eventually came back with another cup of coffee, which she handed to Jaune with a smile. It was a mild shock to him, but he took it with his own smile, "Thanks, Neo." She just nodded and sat down next to him once again. They were both getting feelings of Déjà vu. It was like the times that Qrow had to do something or go on the solo mission. The two would just hang out and find something to occupy their time.

It wasn't much longer after that, that they heard a knock on the door before it opened to reveal RWBY and NPR. "Morning, Jaune, Neo!" Ruby and Nora said in almost complete sync.

Jaune smirked, "Morning." Neo just waved nervously. "There's coffee if any of you want it. Except you, Nora."

She pouted, "Oh come on, that was one time. I can handle-"

"No!" everyone but Neo and Jaune shouted, cutting her off. That just caused her to pout more, until Ren hugged her and left a gently kiss on her forehead. She just smiled and hugged him back. That just made Jaune beam in joy.

"So, how did you all sleep?" Jaune asked as he drank from his mug.

"We slept fine." Ruby answered as she sat on the couch across from him and Neo with the rest of her team.

"We had no issues either." Pyrrha spoke up as she sat done with Ren and Nora on the last free couch. "How about you two?"

Jaune shrugged, "I slept like a rock." He then started to pet Neo again. "She slept pretty well the rest of the night. Didn't wake me at all." Neo just closed her eyes and started to lean into Jaune's touch with a happy expression on her face. After thirty seconds of so, her eyes shot open and she stared at the others. They all had grins or smirks. She quickly pulled her head away and smacked his hand. He just smiled at her as he noticed the redness of her cheeks as she glared at him.

He chuckled a bit, "Oh, don't act like that." He wrapped his left arm around her to pull her into a side hug. She just pouted but still leant against him.

The rest just stared at the two, still confused about how Jaune was so close with a now ex-terrorist. Ren then cleared this throat and the two looked over at him, "Jaune, you asked us to come over because you were going to tell us about Neo."

The others looked at either Jaune or Neo expectantly. Neo started to get nervous, so Jaune pulled her closer. She looked up at him. He just gave her a supportive look, "We do need to tell them, but I'll only tell them what you're comfortable with. So , how much do you want them to know?"

Neo looked down for a bit to think it over. She was afraid to tell them everything, afraid of what they would think of her. But she knew if they didn't know something important and it came up, they would be betrayed. And she would lose whatever trust she would've had with them. She eventually closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, she looked up at Jaune and mouthed, 'Everything.'

Jaune raised his eyebrows a bit, "You're sure?" She nodded slowly. He returned the nod, "Okay." He leant forward and placed his half full mug on the table before he sat back, still holding Neo in the side hug. He had a feeling she'd need a little comfort going forward. "To start, Neo doesn't know her family."

That earned a few shocked looks from the seven of them. "We don't know why but she can't remember anything before she was seven or eight. We think she lost her memory during an accident because after that she has no issue with her memory. So, we don't know what happen to her family. Whether something happen and they got separate, they abandoned her or maybe they were killed. She doesn't know. All she remembers is that she was young, homeless and alone."

That earned sympathetic looks from most of them. Especially from Nora and Ren. "She slowly started to steal to survive. She was in Vacuo and there, only those who were strong could survive. She started by just stealing enough food and water to survive on. But in the beginning, she got caught several time. And she got beaten for it. As more time went on, she did get better at it and she eventually started to steal Lien as well."

"She got by like that for several years but when she was thirteen….she got in over her head." He stopped when she started to hug him. He used his left hand to gently rub her back to comfort her. "She stole the wallet off of a known gang member. She ran once she realized what she did, but the gang found her later that day. They brought her back to their hideout." Jaune's voice took on a cold edge as Neo started to shake in his arms. That just caused him to hold her tighter, with both his arms. "They beat her. Mercilessly. Honestly, they only stopped when she was close to death. They were going to kill her. And that would've been a mercy after everything they did. But one especially sick fuck had an idea." Jaune's words were absolutely dripping with venom. That's when Neo buried her face into his chest. They all saw the tears in her eyes as she did. "I think you could guess what that idea was."

The air seemed to grow cold with that and no one was unaffected. Ruby's eyes widened and tears started to form in them. Nora was shaking in a mix of sadness and anger as her eyes were misting over. Ren wrapped his arm around Nora, but everyone could see the pure fury in his eyes. Weiss' glare could practically freeze a rushing river and Blake had her ears back and was practically growling like a feral cat. Pyrrha's eyes hardened in a way few had seen, and her knuckles cracked from how hard her hands were clenched. But Yang looked absolutely murderous. Her eyes were crimson and her hair looked to be on fire. None of them said anything though, they just watched as Neo silently cried into Jaune's chest as he stroked her hair and whispered reassuring words into her ear. It was weird to see someone so strong being so vulnerable.

Eventually she gave one last sniffle. "You okay?" Jaune asked. She pulled away and looked up at him with a few tears still falling. She nodded once. Jaune brought up one hand to gently wipe away her tears and leant forward to kiss her forehead. He then looked into her eyes for what he said next, "As long as I'm alive, no one will touch you, Neo. You know that, right?" She just gave him a shaky smile as she hugged him as tight as she could.

He just held her as she continued, "Luck was on her side that day. As they were about to do… _that_ …" You could practically hear the pure hatred in that one word, "Her aura was unlocked from all the stress and trauma. It healed her body enough for her to stand and her Semblance activated. That allowed her to get away from them. Although, that didn't spare her from the nightmares she started to have from the experience." He sighed sadly, "She spent the next few months training to master her Semblance and with it, she had gotten better at stealing. Money, food, even clothing."

"Around that time, those bastards found her again. They made her a deal, work for them and live or they would kill her. She refused and when they tried to gun her down, she used her Semblance and the knife she had to kill them all. It was her first time taking a life. She didn't regret doing it though, they tried to kill her and something much viler several months beforehand. But that didn't stop her from being sick to her stomach." She shivered in his arms with that. "That added onto her nightmares for a while after that."

"After that, she continued to do what she usually did: Steal to survive. She did get a decent amount of Lien from the gang members but it was still finite and would eventually run out. Eventually, some people figured out that Neo was the one that killed those guys, and they had an offer for her: if she would agree to 'eliminate' a few individuals for them, they would pay her about as much as she got from the gangsters."

By that point, Neo couldn't look at any of the others. She didn't want to see how they were looking at her. Jaune gave her a gentle squeeze before resuming, "She didn't want to do it, but she needed the money and she was growing tired of barely having much in her life. So, she agreed. She knew she was selling a part of her soul but what else could she do to survive. It was hard for her at first. She killed originally because her life was depending on it, but this was something completely different for her. She couldn't let her 'employers' know how uneasy it made her though. That was when she started to smirk while fighting, it was a mask to hide how much it bothered her. Even now, she's not completely okay with killing. It's just something she's had to accept in her life."

"She worked for them for about a year. That's when they hired her to take out a new target, a potential threat to their business. She did what was routine for her, she tracked them down and when the time was right, she attacked. But this target was prepared for her and was able to hold her off. He could've killed her, but he needed a partner and he offered her the job. That guy was Roman Torchwick."

"You can all guess what happened next. She agreed and she worked beside Roman to help sabotage her now ex-employers. The two worked together up until the Fall of Beacon. Working for Roman was different than with her previous employers. Roman actually cared for her. He stuck his neck out for her, looked out for her and made sure she was happy. They were partners but she started to see him as more, possibly family. At least, that was until he died during the Fall." A small tear fell from her eye and Ruby had a very conflicted look on her face.

"That's when she left Vale. There was nothing left for her here. She also couldn't go back to Vacuo since her old employers would've been searching for her still and Atlas was looking for her as well because of her connection with Roman. So, she started to head to Mistral. But she was empty. After all those years, she was back where started, homeless and alone. She spent several months trying to get to Mistral discreetly since she couldn't afford to get caught."

"She eventually ran out of supplies and was growing exhausted from fighting against Grimm and bandits. When she was at the end of her rope, she was surrounded by bandits but she didn't have the strength to fight back. She was malnourished, dehydrated and sleep deprived." He reflexively held her closer when he said that part. "I don't know what they were planning to do with her but luckily, Qrow and I showed up to help her out. I was disguising myself by sending Void through my hair though. That was when she passed out and we rushed her to the nearest town."

Jaune looked up the ceiling and sighed, "We got her checked out and while she was unconscious, Qrow told me who she was and what she did." He looked back down to her still holding him, "I was angry at first. She was part of what took everything from me. But, seeing her so vulnerable, so weak…I just couldn't keep it up."

Jaune had a small smile, "From that day on, I was the one to take care of her. I did whatever I could to get her back on her feet again." He chuckled slightly, "She didn't trust me at first. Wouldn't have put it past her to throw something at me, if she had the strength." She shrugged at that, not wanting to answer him. "Taking care of her, it made me remember taking care of my younger sisters. Maybe I shouldn't have made that connection but by that point it was too late. Neo was someone who needed me, even if she didn't want to admit it at the time. It made me feel like there was some purpose to my life besides fighting in the war." That earned him a sad look from everyone there, Neo included. He just chose to ignore those and keep going.

"During that time she very slowly opened up to me. That's when I realized that she wasn't a cold-blooded killer. There was more to her. She was hurt in ways I couldn't understand and she wasn't going to talk to me about it. I didn't have her trust." He took a second before continuing. "The day came when we had to move on but she wasn't strong enough to move on her own. I couldn't just leave her. There was no guarantee that anyone would help her and I didn't want her to digress. So, I convinced Qrow to take her with us. I think my argument was, 'Better to keep a potential danger close.' He just knew I wouldn't back down and just went with it."

"Wait." Nora said as she raised her hand. That caught Jaune off guard since it was the first time any of them interrupted him. "If Neo was too weak, how did you guys bring her with you?"

Jaune just had and evil smirk and Neo was glaring at him, practically telling him to 'shut it.' He decided to ignore that, much to her chagrin. "I had to carry her on my back." That caused Neo to blush from embarrassment and she started to slap Jaune repeatedly on the arm. He just laughed at her reaction. That earned him a punch to the chest and her turning away from him with a pout, blush still intact. He knew exactly what that meant but he decided to call her out on it. "You don't hate me and you know it." She continued to pout but didn't move away from him. He just chuckled and ruffled her hair slightly, "Love you too." That earned a reaction from the five women, they weren't exactly sure on how they felt about that.

"Anyway, during that time, Neo got more comfortable with me. But then again, clinging to someone's back for most of a day will lead to that." Neo's blush was renewed but everyone decided to ignore her and not make her feel more self-conscious. "But what really defined our relationship was on this one day. Neo was getting close to being fully recovered but I was till carrying her. Just to be sure she would be okay. Qrow went on ahead to scout out the area. Neo and I were just talking. Well, I was talking. She was replying with her scroll."

"We were distracted and we were ambushed by a huge pack of Beowolves. It was a bad situation. I had to defend Neo while my aura was barely at half."

"What happened?" Pyrrha asked, "Your aura has always returned relatively quick."

Jaune looked away for a second before he answered, "Ever since my Semblance evolved to where I can only use Void, my aura has been returning more slowly. Makes sense considering how powerful it is, so it might be a counterbalance." they all nodded at him. He silently sighed, happy they bought another of his half-lies

"So, it was hard. Fighting with Neo on my back and half my aura, I was doing everything I could to protect us. It was going alright until we were blindsided by the Alpha. It went for Neo and I quickly spun around to put myself between it and her. Because I was using my aura as my Void, i had none to protect myself. Its claws sank into my side and sent the two of us flying into a nearby tree. I took her into my arms and my ribs crashed into the tree."

"I quickly recovered and had her hide behind the same tree. I was having trouble breathing and my ribs were broken, not to mention the gaping gash on my other side. I had to quickly absorb some of my Void. That flooded my system with enough aura to close the wound but my ribs were still a mess. I couldn't absorb any more Void or we would've been defenseless. So I ran from the tree to draw their attention and started to kill as many as possible. I wasn't doing well though, my movements were sluggish and my breathing was nowhere close to normal."

"I was on my last legs." He said seriously a she looked at the far wall. "I was barely standing and the Alpha was stalking towards me while the rest of the pack had me surrounded. I wasn't sure what to do but that was when I heard glass shattering. Next thing I know, Neo is on the back of the Grimm with her hidden blade buried deep in its neck." They just stared at Neo in disbelief. She just smirked and shrugged slightly.

"Yeah, that was my reaction too." Jaune said as he turned back to them with a small smirk. "It screamed in pain and thrashed around until it threw her off. That's when I charged in and stabbed I through the chest with a sword made from my remaining Void. When it started to evaporate, I shifted my weapon into orbs and used them to quickly deal with the rest of the Grimm. I ran over to check on her immediately and when I was sure she was okay, I asked her why she did it." He looked at her. "What did you tell me?"

She gave him a light grin and took out her scroll. When she was done typing she showed it to the rest, still not meeting their gaze. It simply said, 'I couldn't stand to see you die.'

Jaune nodded, "With that, we fully gained the other's trust. Neo seeing me willingly about to sacrifice myself to defend her. And me seeing her risking her's to save me was more than enough for us. When Qrow came back, Neo explained everything she knew about Cinder and her cohorts to us. And when we eventually came back to Beacon, Ozpin decided to trust her with everything, since she had my and Qrow's support. And that is how we got to this point." Jaune finished as he picked up his coffee and drank the remains of his cold coffee with a grimace. "I need a refill." He then got up to do so.

Before he was in the kitchen he stopped and spoke up, "She has had every opportunity to sabotage me and our side. She hasn't. I trust her. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked her to be there for you all during your time here at Beacon. Yes, she's had a hard life and dark past but so does a lot of us here. So, I'll simply say this: she is my sister, in everything but blood." That's when he went to get more coffee.

They were all quiet for a while after that. The members of RWBY and NPR were just taking that in. Jaune has never called anyone his sibling besides Nora and Ren. If he was referring to Neo like that, that just showed how deeply he trusted the multicolored hair girl. Meanwhile, Neo was looking down with a smile. She had heard Jaune call he that before. But no matter how much he said it, it never stopped to give her this massive feeling of belonging. "Neo?" she was pulled from her thoughts when Ruby said that. "Could you look at us, please."

Neo took a deep breath and did so. The looks of anger, hatred and disgust weren't there. It was borderline acceptance but they looked serious. She turned to Ruby, who was sitting in across from her, "What exactly is Jaune to you?"

Neo took on a contemplative look as she held her scroll. She knew what Jaune was to her but trying to put it into words was extremely hard. He cared about her, similar to Roman but so much more. He was her home. He loved her. And not because of her skills or even her body. But because of her. She loved him, but how deeply? Even she didn't know. He was her brother, sometimes he was like what she thought a father would be like. Honestly, he was everything to her. Finally a single word came to her mind and she smiled. She then typed out her answer and showed it to the rest of them with no hesitation. The screen just showed two words: My Family.

They all just read that and slowly smiled. That's when Nora ran over and pulled her into a hug. She tensed until she heard Nora say softly, "Welcome to the family." Her eyes widened a bit before she looked at all the others. They were just smiling and nodding to her. Her eyes started to tear up and she smiled. She returned Nora's hug, for the first time. And she was just happy she had her friends back.

Meanwhile, Jaune was standing in the doorway with a smile. Everything was almost perfect. He just needed his family here and everything would be right in his world. But he was fine with this. Even if it was only briefly, he felt whole.

* * *

 **A/N- Well here it is, Neo's backstory, finally. Now just to clarify something many people will ask, I'm still not sure how deeply Jaune and Neo's relationship will go. I can easily see them staying as siblings to each other but it is completely possible for them to gain a deeper love for each other. I honestly am fine with it going either way and I'm not entirely committed to either one. So, let me know what you all think and I'll take it into consideration.  
**

 **Also, TES is nearing 1.5k for both follows and favorites. That is still amazing to me. So, thank all of you that have followed and/or favorited that and this story. Also, if anyone is interested in doing a reaction fic for TES, PM me and we can talk about it. I would love to see that happen.**

 **With that said, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next update!**


	9. Secret Revealed

The rest of the day, the nine of them relaxed and played random fighting games on their scrolls while using Jaune's television as the screen. The new JNPR and RWBY started with a tournament while Jaune watched. Similar to what happened in their first year, the tournament ended with Yang and Ruby as the finalists with Yang winning the entire thing. Ruby was annoyed but couldn't blame Jaune for this one. Especially since he was in the other room, getting everyone drinks and a few snacks.

After that, they moved to a new fighting game that had more of an every person for themselves style. They managed to get Jaune to play with them but they would soon regret it. As the game started, everyone was fighting for themselves. Until Jaune started to dominate against anyone that landed in his sights. They turned to him but he was completely focused on the screen with a smirk as his fingers never stopped tapping away on his scroll.

They quickly agreed that Jaune needed to go first. They tried to gang up on him but his character was always moving and would always catch the person most unexpecting in a combo before taking off again. The only person that managed to counter him or catch him almost immediately was Neo but even she was not fairing well.

Everyone was in the red besides Neo, who was at a quarter, and Jaune, who was still on half. That's when Ruby and Yang exchanged a look and nodded. Yang's character charged in for her best combo but Jaune managed to counter it and eliminate her character. Jaune smirked but that was when he was grabbed from the side and Yang planted a searing kiss to his lips. Jaune's eyes went wide and his hands stopped from the shock. That shocked multiplied when he felt Yang deepen the kiss and all but ravage his mouth.

While Jaune was distracted, everyone charged at him at once. Ready to capitalize and eliminate him. Yang wasn't paying attention, she was enjoying herself too much. It just felt so right to kiss Jaune like she was again. She only stopped when she heard the telltale sound of a character being eliminated. Yang reluctantly pulled away and looked Jaune in his stunned eyes, "Sorry, Jauney. Looks like you…" she turned to the screen and was shocked to see Jaune's character still standing and Nora's character eliminated by Neo's. Everyone was just stunned and every character stopped moving. "Lose?" Yang finished her sentence through her shock.

Everyone turned to Neo in shock and they were greeted with her just smirking at them. They turned back to the screen when they heard someone else be eliminated, finding that Jaune had just eliminated Weiss. They then heard Jaune chuckle evilly, "Pretty sneaky, Yang. Too bad you didn't know about my ace. Ready to do this, Neo?" She nodded and the two then started to eliminate the other four characters. After that, the two battled it out but Jaune won after a close battle. One more hit would've been all it took to beat him.

Every one of them just looked at Neo and Jaune in annoyance. The two just shrugged before Jaune spoke up, "In a game, Neo would rather fight and lose than to win by an unfair tactic like that. The instant you decided to 'cheat' you lost her as an ally." He held his fist to her and she bumped it.

That's when they decided to just to binge watch a few movies before everyone decided to head back to their dorms. And with all the tension gone between Neo and the rest of them, she decided to go back to her dorm with her team. She looked nervously at Jaune but he just reassured he that it was fine. She hugged him in gratitude and he had no problem returning it. Everyone said their good nights and Ruby, Pyrrha and Yang gave him a kiss before they left.

Jaune sighed at that and went about cleaning up the mess he and the others made. About an hour later, it was done and he made his way into his room. He took the pillow and a blanket off his bed and laid on the floor for the night. He may've slept in the bed with Neo but it was still too soft for him to rest well. He looked up at the ceiling with a small grin, 'At least things are fixed between Neo and the rest. They'll have each other to lean on…once it happens.' His grin fell slightly when he thought that. He sighed before slowly drifting off to sleep.

Jaune woke up early the next morning, which was normal. He stretched his arms with a yawn before he threw off his blanket and rolled over onto his stomach. He then did fifty push-ups, followed by fifty sit-ups and finally fifty squats as a morning workout. After that, he stood tall and started to stretch any sore or stiff muscles.

With that done, he went to take a shower before dressing in his normal gear, minus his armor, mask and cloak. He left his room to go to the kitchen. He made a small pot of coffee while making himself a breakfast of eggs, ham and toast. He ate his breakfast in the living room and turned something random on the television to fill the silence.

'I wonder if they'll stop by again today?' he thought to himself as he drank from his mug of coffee. He then shrugged, 'If not, I can't blame them. Their lives don't revolve around me. And no matter what they think or what I want, I don't belong here anymore.'

He quickly finished his breakfast and coffee before doing the dishes and walking back into the living room. Immediately, his scroll and sunglasses went off at the same time. He instantly went on edge as he picked both off the coffee table. He placed his sunglasses on his face and the lens started to show him a feed from one of his many cameras in the Emerald Forest. It showed dozens of Grimm had gathered and were tearing into each other. He had no time to waste.

He quickly ran back to his room to throw on his armor before running out the door. He threw his cloak on as his mask covered his face. He sent aura into his legs and took off like a bullet towards the cliffs. Luckily for him, ever since he was stuck with Void, it increased his speed, strength, endurance, stamina and reflexes. Not to the level if he was only using one element but it was still close.

As he was running, he sent a call to Oz. Sending the feed through his mask. After two rings, he picked up. "What is it, Jaune?"

"Rien." He corrected the headmaster as he kept moving. Running past several confused students as they were nearly knocked over by a black blur. "Keep the students out of the Emerald Forest. The Drake is going to manifest anytime now."

"What?" Ozpin questioned, "I thought you said it'd be longer?"

"I was wrong. Any way you can get Qrow? I may need back up."

"Qrow is currently in Vale. I'll contact him immediately but I don't know if he'll reach you in time." Ozpin informed him.

"I'll hold it off til he gets there." Jaune was nearing the cliffs but didn't slow down. He sent Void throughout his whole body, gaining a black borderline around him. At the edge of the cliff, he kicked off with all his strength. He flew from the cliffs in the direction of the swarm of Grimm. This was another ability he had with Void. By covering his whole body in a fine layer of it, he could weaken gravity's hold on him. Using his aura as a way to accelerate and turn gave him a form of pseudo-flight. Although, it did burn through aura fairly quickly. 'I have enough aura for four Void orbs, maybe five if I push it. I'll have to finish this quick.'

The universe must've had it out for him right then because he got an alert from some of his motion sensors. He tapped into a feed of a camera nearby and saw Team CVFY hunting Grimm only a hundred or so yards from where the Grimm were frenzying. " **Damn it! I had to open my mouth. If they get involved, it'll be that much more difficult.** "

He looked back to where he was flying, just in time to see a massive amount of smoke escaping from the tops of the tree with dark red glow coming from it. " **Too late.** " He quickly pulled his Void back into him, allowing gravity to pull his body once again. He grabbed a branch of one of the trees and flipped from it to land on another closer to the clearing that the Drake was forming in. Jaune crouched on the branch and saw that the smoke was still condensing. He needed to wait for the Drake to fully manifest. Trying to attack it now would be literally attacking smoke and it would give away his cover.

It didn't take much longer before the red energy flashed from the smoke. Jaune had to grip the tree harder to not be blown off. When he looked again, there was the Drake standing there before it reared its head to the sky and roared. Luckily, it was an inferior Drake so he wouldn't have to worry about any other Grimm coming to its aid. Jaune threw his right hand out to the side as four Void orbs materialized from his aura to revolve around his forearm. The little he had left would barely safe him from an attack but he couldn't worry about that now. The orbs quickly moved to his hand before they twisted together, forming his greatsword.

He took it in both hands and kicked off the branch, shattering it, as he rocketed towards the base of its skull to try to end this before the battle really began. As he was closing in on it, the Drake just happened to swing its tail to be between Jaune and his target. Jaune had no choice but to slice through it or be knocked away. Jaune effortlessly cut through it with his Void but it killed his momentum. He flipped and landed on its back as it shrieked in pain and started to thrash around.

It turned its head to look at Jaune as it was charging its energy blast. Jaune was too far from its shoulder blades to attack the weak point and he had little time to close the distance. He decided to take a risk. He waited for it to fire and jumped away. He turned his head to see that the beam hit its back but the beast didn't act out from that. Jaune landed on the ground and spun. The beast turned to glare at him as the section of its back that was hit smoked from the heat of the attack but there wasn't a mark on it. 'I guess that they are immune to their own energy. Wish I knew that beforehand.' Jaune thought bitterly to himself.

Jaune was reevaluating his plan when a rustling behind him go this attention. He turned his head enough to see two Ursa charging into the clearing. Most likely they were running away from CFVY. The one in front tried to swing at him but he easily ducked under its arm. He then drove his blade through its chest, killing it. Jaune saw the next one still coming, so he angled his blade and reduced the blade's width by half to double its length, piercing the other Ursa through the head.

He spun, his blade easily cleaving through the decomposing Grimm. The Drake was bringing down its claws to crush him. Jaune launched to the side with his aura. As he cleared the impact zone he rolled forward. He pulled two orbs from his greatsword, turning it into a broadsword while doing so. While he was crouched, the two orbs flew across his back before they started to revolve around his left forearm. Jaune started to turn towards the Drake as he stood. Pulling his left arm back to hurl the two orbs into the eyes of the beast. The orbs moved to his palm, ready to be launched.

That's when time slowed down as he saw something enter the clearing from his right. His eyes flicked over before widening ta what he saw: Coco and Yatsuhashi a hundred meters away from him. The two froze when they saw the sheer size of the beast. It's tail was coming towards them at that moment. Not because it was attacking, it was just turning its body to better fight Jaune. Jaune immediately sent some of his dwindling aura into the two orbs in his left hand, making them safe to touch and gaining a dark purple outline to them, before he threw them sidearm. The two arms flew like bullets towards the tail before they suddenly curved to the right, directly at the two students.

The two snapped out of their shock and positioned their weapons between the projectiles and themselves. The orbs hit and pushed them out of the clearing and far enough away to not get hit by the tail.

The Drake capitalized by bringing its other claw on top of the Jaune. He held his sword above him and used his other hand to support the blade. The Void didn't strain and just sank into the claw itself, as a huge crater was forming around Jaune from the force of the attack. His entire body was shaking from the strain and he was gritting his teeth. He couldn't do this for long or he'd be crushed indefinitely.

Jaune screamed and as his distorted voice was echoing out, the Void orbs reacted since they were still _just_ within the range of his control. They shot away from the C and Y of CFVY. The orbs broke through any trees in their way and aimed directly for the head of the beast. The orbs fused together to make a single orb the size of a bowling ball, which struck the beast in the side of its head. But with Jaune's excess aura around it, it didn't penetrate its skin. The dazed Grimm screeched before toppling to the right and freeing Jaune from its claws.

Jaune collapsed to a knee as he used the quick reprieve to gain back his breathe. As his breathing was normalizing, the combined Void orb flew back down to him and floated just over his left shoulder. His extra aura was draining from it and back into Jaune, helping him recover quicker.

That's when Team CFVY came into the clearing once again. They turned from the toppled Drake to Jaune/Rien kneeling. He sighed as he stood, " **You four should've gotten away from here."** To told them lightly.

Coco lowered her sunglasses, "And let you deal with that alone?" she pointed to the Drake. "Fat chance."

" **I'm the expert on these things, Miss Adel, I should be the** _ **only**_ **one fighting them alone.** " He popped his neck to the right, " **But you're already here, so I can't do anything about it. Have you been briefed on the Drakes yet?** "

The fourth years nodded, "We read the notes and heard your lecture the other day." Velvet chimed in.

Rien nodded, " **Good. Here's the plan: I'll draw it's attention by engaging it directly and wearing it down. You four will get into position during that time. When I give the signal, I want you to unload on it to gain its attention away from me, Ms. Adel."** The fashionable leader nodded as her minigun unfolded from its compact form. " **Mr. Alistair, when it's attention is moved to her, I want you to go for the weak point on its back."** The blind martial artist nodded and was getting ready to move. **"Mr. Daichi, once it's paralyzed, I want you to go for the kill."** The giant swordsman nodded dutifully as he readied his blade. **"Finally, Ms. Scarlatina, I need you to back up Ms. Adel. And if it prepares its energy attack, I need you to hit its chest with the biggest thing you have. Can you do that?"** Following her teammates, she nodded in confirmation.

That's when the Drake started to get back onto its feet. Jaune called the large Void orb into his left hand, shifting it into a second broadsword. Risking more aura, he covered his body in a thin layer of Void once again. **"Go!"** he shouted as he took off like a missile. Fox started to run to the right, to get to the Drake's rear, while Yatsuhashi took off to the left to be ready to finish it.

He closed the distance between him and the massive Grimm. He started to deliver a series of slashes across the base of its neck and shoulders. He flew higher up its neck, leaving shallow but painful cuts into the length of its throat. The beast roared in pain and fury before he kicked off the neck and propelled himself higher into the air.

As he did, the Drake tried to clamp its jaws on him. Jaune used both his blades to cut through its teeth. Before he kicked off the tooth to fly higher into the air and drive it through the bottom jaw of the beast. Once he was above it, he shifted his right sword into a javelin, the whole thing looked like a giant needle. He threw it and it flew just as fast as his regular orbs. It impaled into its right eye, making sure it wouldn't see Yatsu. The beast roared again as it thrashed its head from side to side.

He looked and saw that CFVY was in position. **"NOW!"** He shouted as he started to fall back down to Remnant, allowing gravity to grab a hold of him once again. Coco unloaded at its head and it turned to look at her in hatred as the bullets just bounced off its hide. She didn't stop until her gun overheated. That gave Fox enough time to jump on its back and run up to its shoulders. When he was close enough, he jumped into the air and spun his arm blades so they were facing forward. As he came down, he drove them into its weak point. Causing the Drake to freeze in pain.

With that, Yatsu used as much of his aura as he could to jump into the air. Jaune was halfway down its neck by that point, he held his right hand out which Yatsu grabbed. Jaune spun and used all his strength to throw the swordsman higher and faster. As he flew higher and higher, Jaune was sure this was it. But the sad truth was that their angle was just off. Yatsu swung his sword but only cut about a quarter of the left side of its neck, not nearly enough to kill it.

Jaune couldn't let this chance pass him by. He opened his left hand, shifting the broadsword into a round shield. He then threw it and it flew through the air like a buzzsaw. It looked like the Void disk would cut through the rest but that's when Jaune's vision went blurry and he had to shake his head to clear it. That short lapse in judgement made the disk veer off to the left and cut through a third of the right side of the neck. Still not enough. The beast managed to move through the pain enough to aim its open maw at Jaune as it started to build up energy.

He was a sitting duck. He didn't have enough aura to move out of the path of the attack. That's when he saw a flash of light. He looked down to see a beam of light hitting the Drakes chest. He followed it and saw that it was Velvet using a copy of Penny's swords. He smirked as he looked back up to the Drake. Its energy was growing unstable and some was be released from the cuts across its neck. Eventually it built up too much and the Drake's head exploded from the built up energy. With that, its body fell to the side and started to evaporate.

With that done, Jaune flipped himself and used his Void to slow himself down enough to land on his feet. With him safely on the ground, he relaxed and dismissed any of remaining Void. He sighed as he saw Fox jump off the dissolving Grimm and Yatsu using his sword to cut into a tree and reduce his speed. He turned to the two females of CFVY as they walked towards him.

He smirked under his mask, **"Not too shabby. You four are natur-ahh!"** He stopped with a scream as a very familiar pain erupted across his chest. His hand flew to his chest and his fingers nearly dug into his chest plate as the pain increased. **"Why? I'm not at my limit."** He asked out loud as he fell to his knees.

He felt a familiar liquid building up in his throat. He quickly opened his mouth piece before spitting up an alarming amount of blood. His breathing grew labored as his vision started to darken. He heard footsteps running to him and a familiar voice shouting, "Kid!" He could do nothing as he fell forward and darkness took him.

* * *

Jaune woke up to staring at a familiar white ceiling. Jaune raised an eyebrow as he slowly looked around. He saw the very familiar sight of being in Beacon's infirmary. Although, it appeared to be a private room with no other beds.

That's when he heard a beeping. He turned to see he was hooked up to a heart monitor. He then looked down to see the sensors connected to his bare chest, his shirt and armor was nowhere to be found. He also noticed that an IV was going into his left arm. That's when he realized his mask was not on.

He sighed in resignation before he sat up and started to unhook himself from the machine and took out the IV. The machine started to go off and a few seconds later, the door opened to let in Ozpin, Goodwitch and Qrow. "Kid, you're awake?"

Jaune grinned at him, "Thanks for telling me, Qrow." He chuckled slightly as he started to roll his shoulders a bit. "How long was I out for?"

"A few hours." Qrow responded. "I showed up just after you and CFVY killed the Drake. You passed out and I rushed you here as quickly as possible."

Jaune slowly nodded before he started to stand up. Once he was on his feet, he stood there to make sure he was alright. When he didn't feel lightheaded or lose his balance, he then slowly walked over to the table that held his clothing. "So where are the others? I'm surprised they aren't fussing over me."

There was a silence. Jaune looked over his shoulder to see the three of them looking at each other. Ozpin looked at him, "We asked them to wait until you were awake to come see you. We wanted to talk to you about something."

"Is it about how the doctor knows who I am now?" Jaune asked.

"No. Our old doctor retired after the Fall. Our new doctor has no idea that Rien is Jaune Arc." Ozpin informed him, which calmed him down a bit. The less people who knew who he was, the better. "We learned a bit more about why this keeps happening to you."

"Okay. What is it?" Jaune asked as he turned back around and started to pull his shirt over his head.

Ozpin sighed, "Since your Semblance has evolved to the point where you can only use Void, your body is constantly exposed to it. As you use it more and more, your aura stops protecting your body to form it. Exposing your body to the destructive properties of Void. So, as you keep using it, your body is damaged even more. When your body reaches it's limit, it shuts down."

Jaune cut him off there, "That's why my aura rejuvenation has decreased. My aura has to focus on healing all the damage to my body before it can fully restore my reserves." He was putting on his armor as he said that. He then realized after a few seconds that they were quiet. He turned to see them staring at him in shock.

"You knew." Qrow stated, not asked.

Jaune nodded with a sheepish smile, "Kinda hard not too when I can literally feel my body breaking from using Void."

Qrow actually looked angry with that. "Jaune, this is serious. Even with aura, the body has its limits. If this keeps up…" he let his sentence drift off.

Jaune finished it for him, "I'll die. For good this time."

"Jaune." Goodwitch started, "Why didn't you say something earlier. We could've tried to help you with this."

Jaune sighed, "Because there isn't anything that can be done. It's not unheard of for Semblances to evolve but they've never devolved."

"Kid, that doesn't mean its hopeless. We can try to find a way." Qrow tried to reassure him.

He shook his head, "I've tried everything, Qrow. I've tired splitting Void into its components. Tried absorbing all or even a large amount of one elemental dust to break the balance. I've tried depleting my Void but with enough aura to absorb an element, to try and reset it." He gave a tired sigh, "Nothing has worked." He looked at his hand for a second, his dark purple aura shifting to the surface. "I'm stuck this way."

That's when the door was thrown open. The four looked to see Neo stomping over to him with an angry look in her eyes. RWBY and the rest of her team were still at the door with shocked looks on their faces. She stood in front of Jaune and crossed her arms as her foot tapped on the ground. Jaune just sighed, "You heard, huh?" She gave him a look and he sighed.

"Why didn't you tell us?" He turned to see Ruby looking at him with tears in her eyes.

Jaune ran a hand down his face before he started to but on his cloak, "Because I didn't want you to know. If you all knew, you'd worry or try to fruitlessly 'fix' me. It would just make it harder when the inevitable happens."

By that point, his cloak was on and he picked up his glasses. "It's the other reason why I didn't want to come back. It's crueler to just come back into your lives, just to leave again." He turned back to them with a sad smile, "That's why I wanted Neo to come here. That way she would have a family even when I'm gone."

Neo held him tightly and he just gently rubbed her back as she shook. Eventually, he gently pushed away and he started to walk to the door. He stopped and started to speak up, "Jaune Arc is already dead. And Rien is just living on borrowed time." He looked at all of them with a sad smile before he put up his hood and glasses. The mask started to form as he finished his thought, "You're better off just letting me go. And letting me do my job until the end. **That way I can do just a bit more good for you all and Remnant.** " With that said he walked out of the room. Leaving them all to just digest what he just told them.


	10. Freedom

It had been several weeks since everyone found out about his condition and things had been complicated to say the least. Qrow, Goodwitch and Ozpin had been looking into it nonstop to try and figure out how to help him. So far, they had found nothing. Ozpin had the best idea but Jaune instantly declined. There were too many risks and not enough information to work with.

Neo was worse. She practically glued herself to his side, like at any moment she was away would be the moment he would just drop dead. It was a battle to get her to go to class or to be with the rest of their friends. Eventually, he set up her scroll so she could see his aura levels. That way she'd at least be able to somewhat monitor him. It eased her a bit but that didn't stop her from running and clinging onto him as soon as classes were over.

The rest of them were more complicated. He wasn't exactly sure how to describe it. Sometimes they were distant and seemed to avoid him. Other times they wouldn't leave him alone and almost coddle him, which he didn't really enjoy. And other times still, they would just act like nothing had happened and they didn't even care about his condition. All of this was giving him a mental case of whiplash.

That is why he was relieved when his aura went back up to a level he was comfortable with, he was okay to go out on missions for an extended period. Since the situation in the Emerald Forest had been taken care of, he decided to start checking the villages, towns and settlements around Vale for signs of a Drake being created. He grabbed his necessary supplies and left a message for everyone on what he was doing, at three in the morning. By the time they could reply or tell him it was dangerous and/or stupid, he was already at his first stop.

Over the next few weeks, he had started looking into potential spots that Drakes could form. And he had found so much evidence to support that. He found many packs of Grimm that were turning cannibalistic and Jaune made sure to exterminate them. Along with that, he had found that a few of the smaller settlements had been destroyed over the last few weeks. Only good thing about that was that they were done in by regular Grimm and not a Drake. Plus, he had found clear signs of the people evacuating so he was hopeful some of them got away.

After that, he followed the signs of the Grimm that had attacked the settlement and had found a spot in a nearby forest, it had clear signs of a Drake being formed. But that wasn't the most unsettling thing. It appeared that another Drake had shown up around that time. It was strange, he could see the tracks of it showing up, probably around the time that the other Drake was forming, but he saw no sign of it actually forming. He also couldn't find the tracks of a Drake leaving the area. After he looked closely, he found a different set of tracks all together. He had to draw the conclusion that the Drakes had to have formed into a Draco and that Grimm had left the area.

But, that made little sense. How did a Draco form when the second Drake never appeared to have manifested? Did the first Drake somehow interfere? And if so, how did it become a Draco? Regrettably, he had no answers to that and had to move on.

He had studied the remains of some other settlements and what he found there was equally surprising. Each one showed signs of the Draco showing up and being attacked by Hunters. But each one showed no signs of it leaving. Actually, the only recent signs of anything leaving were the footprints of one person. And when he looked closer, he could see signs on the buildings of what looked like Hunters' weapons being fired at them. That wasn't completely out of the range of possibilities. Draco's were still vastly unknown. Who knew what they could do?

But the real question was: How was this possible? If the Draco never left the first settlement, how did it show up in the other two? And more so, he could tell that time had passed between everyone. That last one wasn't more than a few days while the other was over a week old. Just what was going on? Eventually, the trail went cold but he decided to keep tabs on the settlements close by. It was likely that the Draco would show up once again. With that, he finally decided to return to Beacon.

* * *

After being away for three weeks, Jaune finally stepped off the bullhead and into the airfield of Beacon. As soon as he did, his eyes slowly panned over to the tower and Ozpin's office. He really should go up there and give Ozpin the information he had in person. But, he was exhausted and just wanted to get back home. With a sigh, he pulled out his scroll and sent the info to Ozpin. With that, he made the slow trek to his temporary abode.

People looked at him as he walked through the academy but Jaune was used to it. They were all curious about Rien. The Huntsmen that showed up one day and stayed on the edge of the academy and worked directly under Ozpin. Plus, most were curious on his strength and more so, what he looked like under his mask. Jaune chuckled to himself, 'No chance on that happening.' He thought to himself.

He gained a small smile when he finally saw the guest building come into view. He unlocked the door with his scroll and shut it quietly behind him. As soon as the door was closed, he had his mask compact into their sunglasses form. He slowly took off his cloak and hung it up before resting his hand on the wall. He then slowly pulled his boots off and sighed when his feet could breathe again.

He then started to walk over to the couches as he pulled his chest plate over his head. Even though it was light armor, his fatigue was making it feel like a hundred pounds. He then dropped it onto the couch that had the back facing the door. As he was walking around, he was taking off his vambraces, rerebraces and cuisses before tossing them with his chest plate. He sat down on the couch across from the door and leant forward to place his sunglasses on the coffee table before undoing his greaves. He threw them with the rest of his armor and sat back against the couch. He sighed as his exhausted body sank into the couch.

He tilted his head up and looked at the ceiling. He was only sitting there for a couple minutes before he felt his eyes drifting close. He had been camping out or sleeping in abandoned buildings in those settlements for the last few weeks. And the couch was the right balance between firmness and softness to fully relax his body. He knew he should get up and go to his actual bed, even if he had a hard time sleeping in it. But it was too far and he was too tired. He stopped fighting it and drifted off to sleep.

An unknown amount of time later, Jaune awoke partially. At this point, he could fully wake up or fall back asleep easily. As he was debating that, his body was picking up on a few things. First he wasn't sitting up anymore, he was now laying on his stomach. That wasn't odd, he probably shifted in his sleep. The next was that he was very warm, not uncomfortably though. It felt like there was a heat source underneath him and his arms were wrapped around it. The next was that his head was resting against something extremely soft and couldn't resist snuggling into it more.

After a second, he heard a rhythmic beating coming from whatever his head was on. It was calming but that's when he smelt lilacs. That was peculiar. That wasn't a normal scent around him. As he was thinking that, he felt something gently comb through his hair and a humming come from just above his head. The humming was lulling him back to sleep but he was now curious on what was happening around him. With a mental sigh, he slowly pulled himself from his semiconscious state.

His eyes slowly opened and he was staring across the coffee table to the other couch. He blinked slightly and was right when he thought he was now laying down on the couch. Then he started to pick up on the beating and with a soft groan, slowly lifted his head and turned to see what it was on. His eyes saw an orange fabric over two very round globes with the tops just coming out above it. He then looked up to see a very familiar smile and pair of lilac eyes. The humming stopped and she said, "Morning, Jauney."

Jaune blinked sleepily and everything came to him in the next second. He probably should've been embarrassed. He should jump off of Yang. But he didn't. He was still wasn't fully awake and he was very comfortable. And by the look on Yang's face, she didn't mind either. He turned his head to side and yawned before turning back to her. "Hey, Yang." The two just looked at each other before he continued, "So, gonna explain how _this_ happened?"

She gave her usual chuckle, "Sure. Well, Ozpin sent all of us a message that you had come back. I was the first one to finish classes so I decided to come see you. Guess how shocked I was when I saw you passed out on the couch."

He just gave a have hearted shrug, "I was exhausted."

"I could tell." She said with a small smile. "Well, with that, I decided to sit next to you and as soon as I did, you leant against me. You looked too peaceful to wake you and I really didn't have a problem with it. After a bit, I decided to lay down with you because your neck was at an uncomfortable looking angle. I guess you agreed because you wrapped your arms around me and used my chest as your personal pillow."

He chuckled a bit, "Well, they are comfortable." He started to pull his arms out from under her and was trying to get up. Except Yang's arms around his back pulled him back down. He looked back up at her in confusion, "Yang?"

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked with a predatory grin.

"Getting off you?" he asked simply.

She shook her head, "Not happening."

Jaune just blinked, "Okay. Why?"

"I'm comfortable like this. Besides, you still look like you went through the ringer." She then gently placed her hand on the back of his head and pushed it down so it was against her chest again. She gently started to rub it as she spoke quietly, "Get some more rest, Jauney." Knowing she wouldn't hear otherwise, he gave a sigh and closed his eyes once again. He just took the time to listen to her heartbeat some more while breathing in her perfume. Or was it her body wash, shampoo or conditioner? He should ask her later.

Neither fell asleep and they both knew the other wasn't either. They just used the calm to just bask in the presence and warmth of the other. After twenty minutes or so, Jaune opened his eyes and looked back up at her. She looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. Jaune had an idea on how to respond to that. And to thank her for helping him relax and get some rest. He knew he shouldn't but right now, he stopped giving a damn.

He unwrapped his arms from around her and supported his weight on his hands. He then moved up so he was face to face with her. She wasn't sure what he was going to do. His eyes held an intensity to them she had never seen before. She gently bit her lip as he just kept staring down at her. When he was ready, he slowly lowered his face and planted his lips on her's.

Her eyes widened at this. Since he had come back, he hadn't kissed any of them without them starting it. Not until now. Her wide eyes stared into his half-lidded ones. She then closed her eyes as he did the same and she returned the pressure. The kiss lasted until they separated to breath. They each took a breath before coming back together and allowing their tongues to get reacquainted.

Yang's arms tightened around his lower back and around his shoulders. Jaune was still using his to support his weight but switched to using only one to support him as the other wrapped around her back and pull her up into him more. Yang was slowly running out of breath, just breathing through her nose was slowly becoming not enough. But Jaune seemed to be staying strong. With great reluctance she pulled away and gasped for air. She was taking several deep breaths as he just looked at her with a simple smile on his face.

When she had her breath back, she looked back up to see that smile and glint in his eyes. She felt a blush come to her cheeks with that. She then smirked back and pushed herself up. She sat up and slowly pushed him so he was laying his head against the other armrest. She laid on top of him and gently took each one of his cheeks in her hands. Jaune in response just wrapped his arms around her lower back. Yang then lowered her face and kissed him passionately. But opposed to their heated make out a few seconds before, she just separated and kissed him repeatedly. Once their anticipations were high enough, she came back down and they indulged in more tongue play. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she did.

Neither knew how long this would go on for or if things would escalate further. But right now, they didn't care. Right now, they only had the other and they were showing their love to each other. In short, they were in heaven.

That was until the door was flung open and a very bubbly voice shouted, "We're back!"

The blonde pair's eyes shot opened wide and darted over to the door to see the teams. Yang's team were all in shock, along with Pyrrha. Meanwhile, Nora had a shocked but megawatt grin, Ren had a simple eyebrow raised and Neo, well, she was making a lot of lewd hand signs. That was when Yang decided to pull her tongue out from Jaune's mouth. She gave a weak chuckle, "What took you guys?" she asked in a hesitant tone.

Neo was still signing to them but a little more subtlety. Meanwhile, Weiss recovered from her shock and narrowed her eyes at the two. She crossed her arms over her chest and started to tap her foot on the ground, "Care to explain this?" she asked with a cool edge to her voice.

Yang was trying to come up with an explanation but Jaune spoke up with a smirk, "This is all Yang's fault."

She looked at him in betrayal and shock, "How is that the case? _You_ kissed _me_."

He shrugged, "You took advantage of my exhaustion and used your feminine to charms seduce me. Also, you were the one to stop me from getting up in the first place. Speaking of, mind getting off of me?"

She gave him a look that said, 'I'm going to get you back for this' before she did get off him. He chuckled and sat up, as he did he couldn't help but start to ridicule himself for that. As much as he loved Yang and the others, he shouldn't be doing that. It would just make it harder for them all when the inevitable happened. He was pulled from his thoughts when someone poked his nose. He blinked twice before he looked up to see Nora standing in front of him, looking at him in concern. "What's eating you, Jaune?"

He just shook his head with a small smile, "Nothing, Nora. Just kinda tired still."

"Is that all it really is?" Jaune looked past Nora to see Pyrrha looking at him in concern.

Jaune sighed, "If you're trying to ask if Void has anything to do with it, no. It's just more insomnia and sleeping out in the wilds when I could actually sleep. It has nothing to do with my condition." He saw everyone in the room flinch or stiffen when he said that. He ignored it and popped his neck a bit before rubbing it. "So, why are you all here? What's up?"

Blake was the one to reply, "What, we can't just stop by to see you?"

Jaune just rolled his eyes a bit and he leant back against the couch, "You could but you were all acting almost bipolar before I went on my reconnaissance mission. Well, besides Neo because she has been overly clingy." He saw her pout in his peripheral and he smirked slightly. "So since you're here now, means something has changed since I've been gone." He looked at them all as they were slightly stunned by that, "So, again, what's up?"

They all looked at each other before Ruby spoke up, "While you were gone, Weiss came up with a way that may undo Void."

Jaune's eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I thought I told you to not bother with this?' He opened his eyes to look at them again.

Weiss was the one to answer, "You did but we decided to ignore that. We don't like seeing you just give up like this. You've always been a fighter, so let us help you fight this time." Weiss was almost pleading with him. She then looked away and spoke quieter, "We don't want to lose you again."

Jaune sighed and leant forward to run a hand down his face. He just couldn't tell her no, especially considering how broken she sounded. Even if he did, they wouldn't let this go. He gave another sigh, "Fine. We'll try whatever you have planned." They all looked happy for a second, "But, if this fails, you stop torturing yourselves on trying to fix me. We have a deal?"

They each gave him a determined nod before he stood up and put his glasses on. He stood up and threw on his cloak and boots. He decided to forgo his armor because he doubted that he'd actually need it now. Plus, he was still dead tired and couldn't be bothered with it. "So, where are we going?"

"The Emerald Forest." Weiss answered.

Jaune just nodded and his glasses expanded until they formed his mask. He then followed the eight of them into the section of the forest they needed to be at. It was a long track and they asked him how his mission went to pass the time. He told them he found signs of a Draco possibly being formed but the info he had was miniscule at best. A few of them seemed excited and wanted to join him when he went to fight it. Those four were Ruby, Yang, Nora and Neo, to no one's shock. He asked them how their classes went and they said normally. Until Ren told him how Nora almost started another food war in the cafeteria because someone took the last stack of pancakes before she could. That caused Jaune to laugh and Nora to pout.

They eventually came to a small clearing in the forest and what was there actually stunned Jaune. In the center was a massive ring made of Dust. A ring wouldn't do it justice though. It appeared to look like the stereotypical magic circle from fantasy and was about fifteen feet wide. It looked very intricate and he didn't even want to think about how much time it took to make. Let alone, how much it cost for all that Dust. As he looked closer, he could see the different lines, which were about an inch and a half to two inches wide, and designs in it looked to be made up of combinations of fire, water, wind, earth and lightning Dust. At five equally spaced points around the ring were smaller circles about five feet wide and each was made of only one kind of Dust. "What the hell?" he asked stunned as his mask slowly condensed back down into sunglasses and he removed them.

"You said that Void was a combination of the five elements and your aura." Weiss started her explanation. "I came to the conclusion that when you were exposed to the Fall Maiden powers, you body absorbed more elemental energy and that acted as the catalyst. So naturally, it would make sense that a larger amount of each elements energy and equal amount of foreign aura may be enough to undo the process."

"That explains the circle. Where did you even get this much Dust? I thought your father cut you off?" Jaune asked.

"He did." Weiss conceded. "But, I'm still the Heiress of the SDC, so that gives me tremendous pull in the company." She looked at her nails nonchalantly, "I just called them and asked where the delivery I needed was. After saying it should've been here yesterday,they sent it immediately out of fear that someone forgot to send it and enraged their future boss."

Jaune just looked at her in shock and Yang chuckled, "And here we thought you grew out of the moniker of Ice Queen."

She just gave her teammate a glare, "Moving on." She turned back to Jaune. "Since your aura is at full, you can use all of it to make Void. The five of us…" She motioned to herself, her team and Pyrrha. "Will each stand in a circle and activate the Dust with our aura. Our hope is that the combined effort of all of us will break apart your Void and exhaust your aura completely. Once it rejuvenates, it should 'reset' your Semblance in a way."

Jaune just looked at her for a bit. Her idea made a lot of sense but it just seemed to be too out there. "Not to shoot down your idea, Weiss, but this sounds very extreme. Are you sure it will work?"

"We believe to be the best solution, Jaune." He turned around to see Ozpin, Goodwitch and Qrow walking into the clearing. Ozpin continued to speak, "Miss Schnee asked me about this and I believe it to be the best option. As we've said, the Maiden's power in you has changed drastically so we shouldn't think of it as the Fall Maiden's power. The amount of Dust here should be enough to exceed the amount you needed to form all your Void and their auras together is about as much as you have. In theory, this should work. And as an additional precaution, we are here in case anything could go wrong."

Jaune sighed, "Well, if Oz is saying this could work, we might as well try. So, what do I need to do?"

Weiss pointed to the ring in the center of the circle, which was just as big as the ones outside it. "Just stand there and activate your Void."

Jaune nodded and stepped onto his spot in the circle. As he did, each of the girls stood in their respective circle, which was the same dust the swords he left them used. He closed his eyes and focused his aura. His dark purple aura came to the surface before eight Void orbs formed around his body in an orbit-like fashion. He opened his eyes and nodded to them, signifying he was ready. Weiss nodded and turned to the other's. "Focus your auras." With that said, all five of them brought their own auras to the surface and they were flaring around them.

"I'm going to count down from three, when I say 'now', focus all our aura into your circle, it'll cause a chain reaction afterwards." The girls nodded at Weiss' instructions. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Meanwhile, Yang's hands were clenching and unclenching, Blake's ear were flicking sporadically, Ruby was practically shaking and Pyrrha was trying to will this to work by glaring at the circle.

When they were all as calm as they could be, Weiss started, "3…2…1…Now!" They all released their auras and their rings started to glow with the color of their aura. Immediately afterwards, the aura traveled through the circles designs and lines, making them glow ominously. The Void acted defensively with that, the orbs expanded and form a hollowed sphere that completely surrounded Jaune. His ultimate defense in a way.

At that moment, the glow of the Dust lessened and their elemental fury was released in full. An inferno was being released and the sheer heat was burning the nearby trees. Gale force winds were blowing, ripping up anything that wasn't rooted to the ground. Water was flooding the area, evaporating when touching the fire or freezing if it was too close to the wind. The ground around them was shaking and cracking or even uplifting. So much lighting was surging through the water and shooting into the air as a light show. It was as beautiful as it was deadly.

"Glynda!" Ozpin shouted and his second-in-command nodded. Ozpin created a barrier around the circle and Glynda was using her Telekinesis to limit the destruction the elements could do to the surrounding area. As they did that, Grimm started to swarm the area, sensing something was off. Not even thinking about it, Qrow, Ren, Nora and Neo started to fight them to protect the people around them. Luckily, they were only younger Beowolves, dangerous but not as deadly.

Too bad that despite the elemental Armageddon around him, the Void sphere just erased anything that touched it. Although, the elemental energy and aura was doing a number on it. Cracks were forming all around it but the massive sphere was still holding strong. Inside of it, Jaune was feeling the stress his aura was going through. With a hiss of pain, he fell to a knee. He could feel something happening to his aura, and effectively his Semblance, but he didn't know what it exactly was.

On the outside, the girls were watching the Void crack but not completely shatter. They could tell it was close but the aura and Dust was running out. It was only a matter of time before it would stop and if his Void didn't shatter, it would be all for naught.

Blake's ears were pinned to her head as she shouted above the cacophony the circle was creating, "It doesn't look like it's enough!"

Yang's eyes flashed red for a second, "Weiss, what do we do!?"

Weiss just shook her head, "I don't know! It's almost there but we need a bit more to push the scales in our favor but we need all five!"

Pyrrha clenched her teeth together, "We need to do something! Otherwise, Jaune will die to Void!"

They were all racking their minds on what to do as the nature's fury was slowly dying down and their aura was burning out as well. That's when Ruby's eyes went wide, "The swords!" They all turned to the reaper. "Jaune's swords! We can put the last bits of our aura into the Dust and use it all!"

The other's eyes went just as wide and Pyrrha turned to Weiss, "Will that be enough!?"

Weiss shrugged helplessly, "Possibly! I'm not positive though!"

Yang shouted above them, "We have to do something!"

Blake nodded, "It's all or nothing!"

They all agreed and drew their swords before sending the last of their aura into them. "Now!" Weiss shouted and they each swung their blades forwards. All the Dust in their weapons was released and the five elements flew towards the sphere. They hit at the same time but were quickly extinguished. They felt their hearts sink with that. The effects of the circle were slowly receding and they each crumbled to their knees in exhaustion.

That was when more cracks formed across the Void sphere at an exponential rate. Dark purple light was shining across them. Suddenly, a massive amount of white light was released from the sphere, flooding the clearing and releasing a tower of light into the air. Everyone was bathed in the light, no one more so than the five women inside Ozpin's barrier.

After several seconds, the light died down and vanished. Revealing the almost battle torn land where the circle used to be. The five women were still on their knees and were trying to blink away their blurry vision. Each barely registered the warm feeling circling throughout their exhausted bodies.

Once they could see, they all looked at the center of the clearing, seeing Jaune lying on his back, unmoving. "Jaune!" they shouted before running to where he lied. Ozpin dropped his barrier and the other six were doing the same. Ruby was the first to reach him and pulled his head onto her lap. "Jaune, are you okay? Wake up, please."

After a couple of seconds he groaned and started to stir, "Ow, my head. Feels like someone dropped a building on me." He slowly opened his eyes and saw his favorite women looking down at him. They all gasped when he did. "What?" he asked weakly.

Weiss grabbed her scroll and let Jaune see his reflection. He didn't see anything abnormal but when he saw his eyes, he froze. His blue eyes. "My eyes." He said in shock. He slowly sat up and when he did, focused on his body. Ever since he was stuck with Void, he's always had this feeling of something weighing down on his body. But that heavy feeling was gone. And that's when he knew for sure. "It worked?" he said in shock.

He looked at everyone around him, "It worked! I don't feel Void's presence in my body anymore." He started to chuckle, "It actually worked." That's when he was tackled by seven very happy women. They hugged him tightly and were crying in joy. It wasn't long before Jaune was hugging them as well and he too cried his own tears.

After so long, he was free.

* * *

 **A/N- Well, its finally here. Sorry for the long wait. Three months was longer than I anticipated. For those who were wondering, what the hell is taking so long? Truth is, I burnt myself out. Big time. Writing this, along with DVYL May Cry and Distortion, was quickly turning into a chore for me to do. I hated that it got to that point. I love writing and to have it turn into something I'd rather just avoid was terrible for me to feel. The break I took to write other things has refreshed me and now I'm ready to write this story with reborn passion. I hope you'll all understand and I thank you all for being patient with me. And I hope to see you all in the next update!**

 **PS: TES has broken 1.5k Follows and Favorites! I can't believe it and that has made me SO happy! Thank you all for that!**


	11. Close to Home

After everyone helped to free Jaune's body of Void, they all had a small celebration at his place and just enjoyed their time together. Enjoying the fact that Jaune wouldn't be dying anytime soon. The small party lasted until almost midnight before they all had to go back to their respective dorms. Jaune went to his own bed and fell asleep easily with a grin on his face. He felt like a man that was trapped in a dark cave and finally broke out and could bask in the light of the sun.

Jaune then woke up at around five and felt more rested than he had over the last few months. He came to the conclusion that Void's presence over his body never allowed him to fully relax and sleep deeply. With it gone, his body was getting to that state much easier. It wasn't too hard to believe since Void was literally, breaking his body constantly for over a year.

He grinned and got out of bed. He did his usual light morning work out before stretching and grabbing an early breakfast. After that, he grabbed his cloak but left this armor and went into the Emerald Forest to train and see what his Semblance was like now. He made sure he had one of each Dust crystal he used to use just to be sure.

When he found a suitable clearing he took off his cloak and mask to place them on a boulder at the very edge of said clearing. He was confident that no student would be out here at this time in the morning. He left all but one crystal with his cloak and walked into the middle of the clearing with the lightning crystal. He tried to absorb the energy form it, something he knew to do out of reflex. But he couldn't.

He looked down at the crystal and tried to do so again. Again, it didn't work. His aura was refusing to absorb the energy. That worried him so he went over to the other crystals and tied to do the same with each of them but had the same results. His aura couldn't absorb the energy from any of them.

Jaune started to pace around the clearing, panicking. 'Did breaking Void somehow purge me of the Fall Maiden's power? That shouldn't be possible, it was too ingrain into my aura for me to not notice that. Or just straight up kill me.' He stopped and started to slowly run a hand through his hair, 'This is bad. How the hell am going to fight now? Especially with the Drakes running around. I've always had my Semblance to back me up, Void or not.'

His frustration started to build up until he started grow angrier and angrier. 'How am I supposed to be there for them now? I couldn't with the Ultimate Element and now I have none! I'm going to fail them all over again!' Those thoughts lead to him shouting, "Damn it!" With those words, fire erupted from his entire body before it dissipated. Jaune just stood in shock and looked down at his hands before deciding to try something. He held up his right hand and focused on the heating the air around it with his aura like he used to do with his fire enhanced aura. He was shocked when a fireball manifested in his open palm, "No way…" He walked over to his scroll and looked into it and noticed his eyes were now crimson.

After an hour or so of trial and error, Jaune had found out he no longer needed to absorb Dust to use his Semblance. The excess amount of the Fall Maidens power must've caused his Semblance to evolve to the point where he didn't need to anymore. That's when he started to keep training to figure out the ins and outs of his Semblance once again. Or more precisely, to knock the dust off using the five elements and working on how quickly he can swap between them. He no longer had to purge energy from his aura to absorb another one. Now it was more like pulling different liquids from separate 'pools' of already existing energy in his soul. Also, it was much harder to use more than on element at a time, so he decided to leave that for another day.

That was why Jaune was standing in the middle of the clearing around midmorning after a few hours of almost nonstop training. He had thrown his long sleeve shirt over with his cloak to help him cool off quicker. His body was drenched in sweat and he was breathing heavily. He was currently hunched over with his hands on his knees. With a groan he walked over to his gear and drank from a water bottle he brought with him, draining what was left of it. He pulled it away with a sigh, "One more." Was all he said as he placed the bottle down and walked back to the center of the clearing. He took several deep breaths and when his breathing was normal, dropped into a runners stance: fingers on the ground and his left leg back. His eyes shifted to yellow and he took off in a surge of lightning.

At his top speed, he made it to the edge of the clearing and to a tree before running up it. He then kicked off it and started to jump from tree to tree, not slowing down for a second. As he was doing this, he was firing bolts of lightning at targets he had carved into specific trees around his 'course'. When he got back to the first tree, he jumped off it towards the center of the clearing. He released a large amount of lightning into the air as he was flying before he took back control and brought it back down directly at himself.

He landed in the center of the clearing and crossed his arms as the massive bolt struck him. The force of nature kicked up dust but as it cleared, Jaune was standing in the same position, no worse for wear. He lowered his arms and opened his now brown eyes.

Jaune took a deep breath before he swung his left arm upwards, bringing up an uneven stone column five feet to his left before he sent his right palm towards it, shattering it with his control. He slid his foot across the ground before swinging his right arm up and shattering the next column with his left palm. Jaune just kept pacing in a small circle, bringing up column of stone before shattering them, using his hands and feet to do so. Finally, he pointed both palms at the ground below himself before swinging them to their respective sides and above his head, bringing up eight columns around him but now ten feet away. He threw his arms out and clenched his fist before pulling them back to himself, shattering the columns and sending the debris at himself.

When the stones were half a foot away, his eyes shifted to dark blue before he started to weave and maneuver through the storm of rocks. Most of them didn't even touch him an the ones that did, just harmlessly scrapped off him. Once the rocks had all landed on the ground, Jaune took a second to take a breath before he slowly started to concentrate on the water in the air. With several slow hand movements, he had collected enough water to create a water whip. He started to slowly walk in a circle as he maneuvered the water around himself, forming small orbits.

At random intervals, he would lash out with the water before he would have it wrap around him once again to orbit again. He would do one to as many as five lashes before he would pull it back. When he was done, he threw his arms forward to send a pressurized stream of water at one of the many trees. He took another deep breath before his eyes shifted to green and easily jumped to the tree he just hit.

When he was in the branches, he jumped from it to about halfway across, he had to release a gust of wind to carry him the rest of the way to the tree across. He kept this up for a few minutes, never staying on a tree any longer than to reorientate himself before going to the next. While he constantly had to use gusts or blasts of wind to clear the distance, not relying on his aura in the slightest. When he was done, he flipped from the tree he hit with the stream of water at the beginning and landed gracefully in the center of the clearing. We concentrated air around his hands before he slashed with them, sending two wind blades at it.

The blades cut mostly through the tree and its own weight caused it to tip forward and break before falling towards him. Jaune's eyes shifted to red and he ran towards it. When it was about to land on him, he slid to a stop and went for an uppercut. The force of the hit broke it further before he kicked the bigger pieces out of the clearing. As he stood tall, he heard the logs slam into the undergrowth and other trees. That's when he started to pace around the clearing again, sending off blasts of fire and throw fireballs. When he could feel his stamina running low, he stopped in the center of the clearing and took a deep breath. Then he threw his hands out and looked to the sky as he breathed fire and shot a stream from each hand.

He did this until his eyes shifted to his usual eye color and he doubled over again. He was breathing raggedly but was satisfied with his progress so far. He went rigid when he heard someone clapping. He slowly turned around but relaxed when he saw Blake walking out to him in her uniform and a smirk on her face, "Not too shabby. Is that what you've been doing all morning?"

He tilted his head back and forth, "More or less. How long have you been there?"

She started to walk closer to him, "I saw the lightning as you were running around and decided to stay out of your way while you kept working on your other elements."

Jaune nodded and looked down at him hands, "It feels great. Not just being free of Void but just being able to use the five elements again." He smiled, "It's hard to describe the feeling, honestly. Not invigorating but pretty close."

She nodded and she just stared at his smiling face, glad to see the smile she knew so well was back. She smiled and her eyes slowly panned down to look at his bare chest. It wasn't the first time she had seen him like this but she always appreciated the view. She liked how he was muscled but not overly so and all the sweat he had accumulated was causing him to shine a bit. His scars took nothing away from it either but seemed to accentuate him more.

She swallowed unconsciously and she blushed when her mind went to more erotic ideas. Her eyes slowly focused on the bullet scar and the tattoo he had gotten around it. The fact he went so far to mark himself with their emblems just made her heart soar. Her smile became a bit bigger too.

"You enjoying yourself?" Blake pulled herself from her thoughts and focused back on his face. He had his eyebrow raised and a very familiar smirk on his face. She looked away sheepishly and her blush deepened. Her ear wilted the slightest bit from getting caught. Jaune's eyes focused on them with that and his smirk turned into a gentler smile. "You really stopped wearing it." He said just above a whisper.

She heard him and looked back up to see him looking at her ears. She gained a small smile, "Yeah. After…everything… it seemed wrong to keep wearing my bow. I was tired of hiding and decided to stop." She looked into his eyes and gave him a loving smile, "To be the real me."

His eyes widened slightly and her turned to the side. "I'm sorry."

She raised an eyebrow and took a step closer, "For what?" she asked but knew what he meant.

"I should've been here. To be there for you all. For you." He looked down. "I wasn't."

"I forgive you." She said simply.

He froze and looked back at her in confusion. He had to have misheard her but the look on her face told him he didn't. "How can you say that so easily? After I lied to you all. I abandoned you. How can you all just forgive me like what I did is anything but unforgiveable?"

She closed the space between them so there were only a few inches between them and looked into his eyes. "Simple. Because we love you. I love you."

She gently took his right hand and placed it on the left side of her chest. "Do you feel that? My heartbeat?" He slowly nodded, "That's because of you. Since the day I fell for you and you fell for me, I have only been yours, Jaune." Her hand went up to his chest and gently caressed his tattoo as she looked at it, "I understand, you ran away to protect us. Hell, if it wasn't for you and your mother, I probably would've done the same after what Adam did to Yang." She looked up to meet his eyes once again, "That's why I can forgive you so easily. Why we all can. Because we'd all do something stupid to protect the people we love."

Jaune just stared at her in shock. He just had no words. She saw this and leant up to kiss him and it took only a second before he returned it. They separate for a few seconds before his eyes stared into her amber ones and they came back together. They introduced their tongues but instead of it being fueled by passion, it was more sensual. They just wanted to enjoy this moment. She wrapped her arms around him to pull herself close and he did the same since she just ignored all the sweat.

The two pulled away again and they just looked at each other as they tried to reclaim their breath. She gave him a loving smile and she placed her head on his chest. He smiled in return and gently raised his hand to gently rub one of her cat ears. She shuddered slightly and cuddled up to him more as she purred in happiness.

The two stood there for a few minutes before Jaune broke the silence, "Not to ruin the moment but I would really like to shower."

That caused Blake to giggle, "Yeah, you could definitely use one."

"Hey, you were the one that hugged me. You knew what you were getting into." He replied as they pulled apart. They walked back over to the boulder he left his gear on and pulled his long sleeve shirt back on. He threw his cloak back on as well and hung the sunglasses off the neck of his shirt by the arm. He pocketed his Dust crystals and the two made their way back to his dorm in a comfortable silence as she held his hand in hers. "So, is there any other reason why you were spying on me? Don't you have class?"

She shrugged, "My class got done early and Miss Goodwitch asked me to come get you sense the others still had class and you were ignoring your scroll."

Jaune looked at her, "Why does she want me?"

"She has a first year class and she wanted you to help her out with it. There's a…problem child and she thought you'd be best at helping deal with them." She told him vaguely.

He nodded, "Alright, I'll shower and head there afterwards." They were now standing in front of his personal dorm. "And you should probably head to class. Last thing you need is Weiss lecturing you about skipping." He said with a smile.

She looked conflicted, probably wanting to spend more time with him but she sighed, "Fair point. I'll see you later then." She gave him another chaste kiss before she started to pull away with a smile, "I love you."

He just smiled back, "I love you too, Kitten." She smiled more at her nickname before she started to head back to Beacon.

Jaune just smiled and went inside. He went to his bedroom and grabbed another set of clothes before going into his bathroom. After his quick shower, he redressed with his light armor this time. He pulled up the hood on his cloak and expanded his sunglasses into his mask before he left.

As he was making his way through Beacon, he garnered the attention of many students that weren't in class. Most were just whispering to each other but he ignored that. The ones that stared at him were different though. He would turn to them and give them a respectful nod before continuing on his way. Every time he did, they were shocked but a few of them would gain nervous smiled and either wave or nod back. When he finally made it to the combat classroom, he walked in to see a good portion of the first years talking amongst each other before the class actually started. He saw Miss Goodwitch in the arena on her scroll, probably taking care of a few things before class began.

Jaune started to make his way down there and that's when the students started to notice him and whisper to each other. He wasn't really paying attention until he saw a familiar head of blonde and green hair in his peripheral. He looked and nearly froze when it turned out to be Olive talking to her friends or possibly her team. His heart seemed to clench before he quickly shook himself of it and kept making his way to the arena.

Miss Goodwitch finally looked up from her scroll when he just stepped foot into the arena. It was probably from the usual chatter of pre-class turning into quiet murmuring that got her attention. She put her scroll down and had an almost nonexistent smile, "Ah, Rien, good to see that Miss Belladonna was able to pass my message onto you."

Jaune just nodded, " **That she did, Miss Goodwitch. Sorry about that, I was working on something important this morning and was nowhere near my scroll.** "

Goodwitch raised an eyebrow, "I thought we had talked about this? If we are going to be colleagues, you should call me by my first name."

Jaune just looked at her, " **I don't know about that Ms-** " He stopped when she gave him a glare. He held her gaze for a bit before he sighed. It was just easier to give in. " **Fine, fine. You win, Glynda.** "

That near nonexistent smile was back with that, "Good to hear." She turned her attention back to the students as she stood next to her, "Students, if I could have your attention." All the first years stopped instantly, they seemed to all know of the wrath of Goodwitch and Jaune had to stop from chuckling. "As you've all noticed, I have asked Rien here to come and assist me with evaluating your fights. Even though he is not an official professor, I expect you to give him the same respect you give me."

None of the students argued with her and she quickly called the first fight on the class. As the two students were fighting, Glynda started to quietly speak to him, "So, how is your Semblance?"

Jaune reached up to his mask and turned off the voice modifier and played it off as scratching the side of his face. He couldn't whisper with it on, the voice would carry too much. Besides, with the sounds of the fight, no one would be able to her him anyways. "It's better. I can use the five basic elements once again but no longer have to use Dust as a catalyst."

She nodded as her eyes never strayed from the fight. "Have any issues come up?"

"No issues per se." he started. "I'm having difficulty using more than one element at this point. So any Advanced or Exceed elements are out of my control. Plus, I can't send my aura into the elements either."

Glynda went to looking at her scroll to check their aura levels, "How serious of a problem is that?"

He gave a half-hearted shrug, "Honestly, not really bad. Looking back on it now, pushing my aura into the elements wasn't really worth the strain on my body. The strain was probably a warning of how dangerous the technique was and my body was trying to stop me. So, if giving that up for using elements without Dust is the cost, I'm fine with it."

She gave a quiet sigh, "Ozpin was also wondering, what about Void?"

That made Jaune freeze for a second, a part of him tried to combine the elements of instinct but he quickly stopped himself. He took a steadying breath before he spoke, "I don't know. And I'm afraid to find out if I'm being completely honest. After finally being freed from it, I'm not too eager to use it and possibly being stuck like that again. Maybe permanently this time."

She couldn't ask anymore because the fight had just ended. She then gave her full attention to the students and was giving them advice. As she was doing that, he turned his voice modifier on once again. He didn't want to risk anyone asking him something with it off. Besides, he didn't want to keep talking about Void any longer.

Glynda called several more fights and they watched them in a silence and he would give some advice to them. Not as much as Glynda but enough. The final match was one that he wasn't expecting. "The final fight will be between Olive Arc and Grey Lupine." Glynda announced and the two students entered the arena. Olive was on his left and she pulled her spear off her back before she spun it in her hand and held the head so it was pointing at the ground.

Grey was on his right. He was a tall, black haired teen with yellow eye. He wore a sleeveless black shirt and grey cargo pants that let his wolf tail stick out easily. His weapons were a pair of knuckle dusters that had a point on each knuckle and a six inch blade in a reverse grip. He also wore metal reinforced boots with armor that covered his shins.

"Are both fighters ready?" Glynda asked and both nodded, "Begin!"

The two charged each other and when they were close, Grey went for a right hook. Olive spun her spear like a bo staff to stop it before she swung her leg to catch him in the ribs. Grey took it in stride and held her leg as he went for his own kick. Before he could, she spun her spear and caught him with the pommel on the side of the head. They broke apart and she quickly charged him, spear-point forward. She caught him on the shoulder before she pulled back and went for a slash across his chest.

Grey managed to catch the head with his blades before pushing her off balance and delivering a thrust kick to her stomach. That sent her flipping through the air. That's when his aura condensed around the blades and grey colored aura blades extended from them, most likely his Semblance. He went for a cross slash to her exposed back. But she was able to block it by repositioning her spear to lay it across her back. It would've been impressive since she couldn't exactly see the attack, but he knew why she was able to do so. Her Semblance: Radar.

Her Semblance allowed her to form an almost invisible bubble of aura round herself. So if anything entered it, she would know it and could act accordingly. She used the impact from his attack to gain distance and flip back to her feet. When she stopped moving, she charged forward before using her spear like a pole-vault to close the distance faster and for an aerial strike.

Jaune kept watching his sister fight in silence. She had definitely improved since he saw her last fight but he was concerned. When she was on the defensive, she was very complaisant, probably due to her Semblance giving her an edge. And when she was attacking, you could see the anger in her eyes, but unlike if someone usually lost their temper. She didn't even seem to notice it. She was releasing suppressed anger during her fight. And by looking at Glynda, he could tell she knew it too. This wasn't something knew.

Olive eventually won the fight with eighty percent of her aura, the loss from using her Semblance so much. "Good fight you two. Mr. Lupine, you did very well but are still focusing too much on offense. Sometimes you must go one the defensive until a better opportunity arises." He nodded respectfully. She then turned to Jaune. "Rien, did you notice anything about Miss Arc's fighting?"

He sent her a mild glare through his mask, " **Actually, yes. There are two things I noticed.** " He turned to her and he could see her giving him that angry look. " **When you are being defensive, you are too complaisant. You should stay on guard during situations like that, in case anything gets through your defense. And while you are attacking, you use your anger while doing so. And I don't mean sporadically, but constantly. Fighting angry is a reckless way of fighting and can do more harm than good.** "

What shocked him was when she rolled her eyes and turned from him slightly, "Thank you for your advice but I fight just fine."

That was definitely something new and by the look on Glynda's face, she had never done so prior. "Miss Arc." She started. "That is no way to speak to him. I made it clear that he deserves the same respect as me."

Olive turned to her, "Excuse me, Professor, but I can't do that." That shocked her and everyone in the room. He turned back to him, "He has done nothing to earn it my respect. That is something earned, not given. And just because he works for the Headmaster, doesn't mean he has earned it."

Glynda was about to say something before he laughed through his mask. Shocking the class and Olive seemed to grow slightly angrier. He looked at her, " **You may have a point.** " He started to walk to where Grey was standing. " **Why would I know anything about fighting? Not like I lived in the badlands for six months, fighting a new species of Grimm.** " He replied sarcastically and was now standing where Grey was. " **If you think you know best…** " he raised his right hand and formed a fist, the knuckles cracking from doing so. " **Why don't you see what you can do against a real Huntsman?** " That shocked everyone.


	12. Home

Rien was standing across from Olive again. He had momentarily left to get one of Beacon's numerous training weapons. They had several of many types of weapons, in case students weapons were being repaired or if they wanted to experiment with other weapons. It was just a standard hand-and-a-half sword. It had a simple grey color scheme and it was a decent weight, a little lighter than he was used to but still.

She was still looking at him uneasily but that was expected. It's not every day that a Huntsman challenges you to a fight. She turned from him to Miss Goodwitch, "Professor, is this really necessary?"

Glynda looked up to her and sighed, "No, it is not something I would usually allow. But as I said before, Rien is my assistant today. So, if he feels like this is necessary then I won't stop him."

Olive looked disappointed with her response. She turned back to Rien with a small glare when she heard him chuckle, " **What? Are you nervous? What happened to all that confidence you had?** "

She gave him a deadpanned expression, "Of course I'm nervous. I'm about to fight a Huntsman. No way am I at your level yet."

" **Well, its good to see one Arc that has some common sense.** " He replied with some snark.

That caused her to pause and glare at him more, "And what does that mean?"

He shrugged, " **Exactly what it sounds like. The last Arc to be in Beacon was so convinced that he was invincible that it led to him dying. Right?** "

A stunned silence filled the arena and everyone turned to Olive who had her head down and was shaking like crazy. "Are you talking about my brother?"

Rien just tilted his head, " **Of course I am. The kid was strong but look where all that power got him. Dead.** "

He was stopped when a spear point was going towards his masked face. He raised his temporary blade and diverted it to the side. He was holding it back as Olive was in front of him and scowling. "Don't ever talk about my brother like that." She practically hissed.

Rien just leant forward slightly, " **Make me.** " In that moment, he pushed her spear away and kicked her in the stomach, sending her backwards. She planted her feet and skid to a stop before glaring at him. He lowered his sword and just raised his left hand to motion for her to bring it on. As he did that, his eyes under his mask shifted to dark blue.

With a growl, she charged towards him for another thrust. He easily just weaved to the side at the last second. She went for two more rapid thrusts but he dodged them just as easily. She pulled back and started to spin her spear before she started to attack him with a series of slashes or pommel strikes. But this met her with the exact same responses. He'd easily just weave out of all her attacks. And as this continue, the more frustrated she was becoming, "What, not going to attack back?"

She gave a half-shrug as he avoided another attack, **"Doesn't look like I need to. But if you insist.** " He planted his feet and when her spearhead was thrust towards his chest, he raised his left hand and caught it.

She raised an eyebrow at that, thinking he was just showing off. She looked at the aura readings to see how much that maneuver cost him and her eyes widened. It barely cost him a couple percent. She looked back at him in shock, not knowing that his eyes were now brown. He pulled her weapon forward with her following it. That was when he slashed forward and took a good chunk of her aura with it. He let go of her spear and she quickly gained some distance between them.

" **Hope you realize that if I didn't let you go, this fight would be over.** " He informed her as he shook his left hand slightly.

She scowled at him, knowing he was right but she didn't care. He was bad mouthing Jaune, he needed to pay for that. "You're going to regret doing that."

He chuckled, " **Doubtful.** " He said dismissively. " **So far, I'm getting the same impression that other Arc did. A fool that will just get themselves killed early.** "

"Shut up!" she shouted as all her anger was now on her face. "You know nothing about my brother and I won't let you belittle him anymore!" As she said that, the pole to her spear started to collapse and she placed it on her back. She reached down to the holsters on her belt and two handles sprung from them. She grabbed them and pulled them free and blades extended from both, forming two short swords.

That took him off guard for a second before she charged at him. He quickly shifted his eyes to light green as a precaution. They started to exchange attacks and he could tell that she was good with her swords but she hadn't mastered them, they must've been a new addition to her arsenal. " **See? Just like him. An adversary gets under your skin and you just run in. Forgetting how outmatched you are and never thinking about any strategy or even considering backup.** "

His eyes shifted to crimson and he knocked her blades from her hands with a powerful swing. He then grabbed her by the front of her shirt, " **That ends now.** " He then lifted her into the air and slammed her into the ground. She bounced off as it cracked under her. She stared with wide eyes up at the ceiling as she gave a nearly mute cry of pain. He then swung and hit her with the flat side of his blade and sent her tumbling across the arena before laying in a heap two feet from the out of bounds mark.

The students just stared in shock at the brutality, no one saying a thing. Goodwitch was staring but now she had a better understanding of why he was doing this. He wanted to stop his sister from making his mistakes. From going down the same path.

Rien stood there and watched on as Olive slowly started to rise with shaky arms and legs. " **Anger can give you strength but it leaves you open to too many risks. I say this from experience: it may feel like a strength but all that rage you have inside you is just holding you back. You need to let it go.** "

"Let it go?" She asked it quietly but he could hear to easily in the silence. "How am I supposed to let it go?" She was now on her feet but was looking down. "My brother is dead. He sacrificed himself to protect everyone. He saved the day and became a hero. And I should feel proud, right?"

She finally looked up and his heart broke. His little sister, the one that helped him so many times before his training, had tears pouring down her eyes. "How can I feel proud? My only brother, the person I looked up to most in Remnant is dead. And that will never change. Yeah he saved Vale and Beacon and everyone else." Her hand reached up and she gripped her shirt tightly. "But I still lost him forever."

She looked at him almost pleadingly, "So how am I supposed to let it go? Become a Huntress? That hasn't stopped it in the slightest. Being here where he used to be just reminds me that he isn't coming back. Get revenge on his killer? They've been dealt with, he killed them. Destroy the Grimm? That is impossible for one person to do."

She dropped her hand from her chest and reached back for her spear, deploying it onto its full length. "The pain will _never_ go away. So, yeah, I'm angry. No, I'm furious. At the people who took him away from all of us. At him for having to sacrifice himself. But most of all, I'm furious with myself for not being there for him." She pointed her spear at him again and had a determination in her eyes. "But no matter what, I won't allow anyone belittle his memory."

Jaune just stared at her through his mask and he gave a sigh. He wanted to use this fight as a way to find all this out and try to help her. But how was he supposed to do that when he was the source of all of it. His fist tightened around his weapon and his eyes shifted to yellow. 'I'll finish this quick. No point in delaying it any further.' He thought to himself.

He took off at a speed that made him look like a black blur. Olive was shocked but her Semblance picked him up on her right. She tried to turn but his blade bit into her side and her aura. She took a step back and she sensed him on her left this time. Again, she couldn't do anything to defend herself and took the hit. This carried on for several more attacks. He'd more too quick for her and she would have no choice but take the hit. He stopped when her aura got low enough and the signal went off.

He stopped and stood beside her, his eyes shifting back to normal. She was on her knees and looking down at the ground, breathing raggedly. " **Your Semblance is impressive but that is its greatest flaw. If you aren't fast enough to dodge or strong enough to block the attack, it is almost useless. You need to work on that, Liv.** " He said the nickname just over a whisper so only she could hear it. It was a nickname he gave her when they were younger but he stopped when they got older because she told him it made her sound like a little kid. She looked up at him in shock and confusion. That was until her eyes drooped and she passed out. He knelt down and caught her before she hit the ground. She was beyond exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

Glynda spoke up with that, "Let that be a lesson to all of you here. Yes, you have made it this far and have trained hard. But you are far from invincible. The sooner you realize that, the more you will grow and the stronger you will all become. With that, class is dismissed."

The students started to leave and Goodwitch walked over to Jaune, still kneeling and holding his sister. "I understand why you did that. But you may've gone too far."

He nodded, " **You may be right, Glynda. But it's something that needed to be done and it was my job to do it. I'm responsible for her and the problem.** " He picked her up in a bridal carry and stood up, " **I'll take her to the infirmary to get some rest. Can you return her weapons to her locker?** " He looked at his ex-professor and she just nodded to him. " **Thank you.** " He said with a smile hidden under his mask. He then turned and left with his sister.

* * *

Jaune was currently in the infirmary with Olive. He walked in and told the head nurse that she just exhausted her aura. She just pointed to one of the rooms and told him to make her comfortable. He did that by placing her in the bed and draping the covers over her. He then gently stroked her green and blonde hair. She gave a small smile and quietly muttered what sounded like 'Big Brother.'

That had him freeze for a few seconds before he sighed sadly. He retrieved his hand and started to turn to the door. He stopped and looked over his shoulder to look back at her sleeping peacefully. He couldn't help it. He just sighed again and walked over to the chair placed by the wall beside her bed. He took a seat and just waited there.

He pulled out his scroll and started to check on a few situations he had interest in. He started by checking to see if anything new had happened in the lands outside of Vale and with any of the settlements he wished to keep tabs on. He found very little which made him relieved. The Draco hadn't resurfaced yet. But was that a good or bad thing?

Second was Atlas were saying that they were making breakthroughs in the study of aura and the possibility of restoring it. That caused him to smirk and chuckle a bit. If they only knew that someone was already so close to that already. Good thing his friend knew how to stay under the radar. Was he a friend? Mentor? Supplier? He shrugged absentmindedly. 'Mix of all of those and more probably.'

He also found an article on another robbery of the thief 'Hardware'. Atlas gave them that codename because they had nothing on the guy except that he steals samples of cutting edge or prototypes of experimental technology. That made him smirk. First because it was always amusing to see the idiots in Atlas have the rug pulled out from under them. Second, it was always nice to be part of an inside joke.

That's when he started to get messages from RWBY and JNPR. Apparently, word had spread that Olive was in the infirmary after fighting 'the Masked Huntsman'. Jaune deadpanned at that. 'Worst name ever.' He thought. They were all checking to see if it was true and if she was alright. He decided to make it easier on everyone and made a group message and told the all, 'Yes its true and she's just exhausted.' That got him several other questions and he told them he'd tell them later and to get back to focusing on their classes before he tips off the Headmaster. He got some begrudging peace after that.

He relaxed in that peace for another half an hour. That was until Olive started to stir. Her eyes slowly opened and she looked around the room confused. "How'd I get here?" she asked out loud and tiredly.

" **That would be because of me.** " He answered and she turned to him in confusion. " **I brought you here after our fight so you could rest.** "

She just looked at him for a while before she turned over onto her side so her back was to him, "Thanks."

He just looked at her and stood up, " **You don't have to like me and you don't need to forgive me. But what I pointed out to you in our fight had merit to it. Keep that in mind and work on it. Then you'll be better than your brother.** "

With those words he just walked away and to the door. He was only halfway there when she spoke up, "I know why you did that." He stopped and looked over his shoulder at her, she still had her back to him. "Why you said all of that about my brother. You wanted me angry at you so you could prove your point to me."

He nodded, even though she couldn't see it. " **You seemed like the stubborn type. Was the only way to get it through to you.** "

She didn't move or say anything, so he assumed they were done. That was until she sat up but was still looking down at her blankets. "My brother used to say the same about me. I was the quiet type of person and usually kept things buried, until I met RWBY and JNPR. They helped pull me from my shell and made me feel better about being here. Them being around made the pain of missing Jaune dull."

She looked up at him and she was tearing up again. But this time she was trying to hold them back. "When they brought you back, they started to go see you more and spend more time with you. They've had less time for me and because of that, the pain came back." She looked down at the floor as a tear or two trailed down her cheeks. "It sounds so selfish and stupid. And I hate that I feel that way. But it was just easier to put that hate on someone else. I couldn't do it to them because they mean so much to me. So, I put it all on you. You didn't deserve that and I'm sorry for that."

Jaune just stared at her and he felt terrible for causing her to cry twice now. He walked over to her side table and pulled a tissue from the box there. He handed it to her and she looked at it in shock. " **Apology accepted. And please, don't cry like that. I'm not worth those tears.** "

She took the tissue with a shaky hand and wipe her eyes and nose with it. She then let loose a small giggle that confused him. "Sorry. It's just that my brother used to say things similar to that when he would upset me as a kid. I hated that when I got older. He always put himself down and it always felt so wrong to me." She gave a said sigh, "That's one of many things I wish I would've told him."

He just looked at her for a while. He hated seeing her like this, in so much pain and it was because of him. He wanted to take all that pain away and he knew there was only one way to do that. As much as he wanted to, it was such a big risk to do. He could put her and his whole family at risk if the worst happened. Which was the greater mercy? He was going back and forth on whether to do it or not. But when she gave another sad sniffle, his resolve crumbled.

With a shaky hand, he brought it up to his mask and hit the switch. As his mask started to reform into his sunglasses he spoke up, "What else do you want to tell him?"

Olive froze for a second before she slowly turned to him with wide eyes. With a small smirk, trying to not laugh at her shell-shocked expression. He pulled off his hood and his sunglasses, revealing his face to her. Her mouth dropped and his smirk turned to a small smile. "I've missed you, Liv."

"J-jaune?" she asked shakily, not believing her eyes or ears. He just nodded, his smile staying in place. She then slowly stood up from the bed and walked over to him. Her eyes never leaving his face, like he'd disappear if she took her eyes off him. When she was close enough, she reached up slowly with a shaky hand and placed it on his cheek. She gasped and her eyes started to tear up again. She then wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his shoulder, "Big Brother, you're back. You're actually here." She cried into his shoulder.

He just returned her hug and held her close. "I'm here, Liv. I'm here." He said soothingly as his sister cried into his shoulder more.

The two stood there for a while until Olive's tears finally came to a stop. She looked up at him, "How is this possible?" she asked him.

He looked around really quick before gently pushing her back a bit, "Take a seat and I'll explain." She nodded and took a seat on the edge of the bed. As she did that, Jaune went to the door and cracked it open. He carefully looked to make sure that no one was around. Once he was sure of that, he placed one of his motion sensors on the outside of the door before closing and locking it. He then walked back over to Olive and pulled the chair from the wall to in front of her and sat in it. He looked her in the eyes and took a deep breath, "So, where do you want me to start?"

She raised an eyebrow and, with a smirk, said, "The beginning is always good."

He just rolled his eyes, "Ha-ha. Well, I guess I'll start with the obvious, I didn't die. I was close, very close. But luckily, someone found me and brought me somewhere that I could heal. It took me many months to fully heal and to get back into shape. Once I did that, I came back here." He sighed again. "That's when things got complicated."

She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, "How so?"

"Before I say anything, you need to understand something. What I'm going to tell you is absolutely all I _can_ tell you. So, don't ask me to elaborate, understand?" he asked sternly and she nodded. He nodded back, "The people that caused the Fall of Beacon were part of a much bigger group." That earned her a shocked look, "Yeah, exactly. And I can say they weren't happy about their plan going up in smoke. If they found out the one responsible for that was alive, they would come for me. Or the people I care for."

Her eyes gained a sense of clarity to them, "That's why you let everyone believe you were dead."

He nodded again, "Can't get revenge on someone who is dead. Especially when it could draw unwanted attention. Them believing Jaune Arc is dead, keeps our family safe. Along with my girlfriends."

Her eyes widened a bit, "RWBY and JNPR know?" he just nodded. "Who else does?"

Jaune thought for a bit. "The person who saved me and the person who set up my persona as Rien. Along with Ozpin and Qrow. Glynda found out around the same time as JNPR. And now you, so fourteen people, not counting myself."

She nodded and started to think for a bit, "I can't tell Mom or Dad. Or our sisters, can I?" she asked glumly.

Jaune winced and gently rubbed the back of his neck as he looked away, "No. As much as I wish we could, it's too dangerous. I don't want to think about the resources they had for Beacon being pointed at our family. Or friends."

She looked down and he turned away, unsure on what to say next. This was a conversation he was hoping to not have this soon. He felt a pressure in his hand and he looked to see Olive holding it in her own. She looked him in the eyes, "They miss you, Jaune."

He looked away, "I know. I want them to know, Liv, more than almost anything. But, I want them to be alive more."

She pulled his hand and he looked back to her. She had an understanding look on her face "I get it, Jaune. I'll keep it a secret."

He reached out and gently ruffled her hair, "Thanks, Liv."

She gave him a glare with no heat behind it, "Stop calling me that. I'm not seven anymore."

He smirked, "Really? Still kind of a squirt though, aren't you?"

She stood up and placed her hands on her hips before glaring more, "For your information, I am average height for my age. Not my fault you're an Oumdamned tree."

He just poked her in the forehead and pushed her back with his two fingers. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Squirt."

She just kept glaring at him while his teasing smirk never left his face. After thirty seconds or so, they started to chuckle at the standoff. When they calmed down, she looked to the side and was nervously tapping her foot on the ground. "So, does that mean I can visit you on occasions?"

He started to scratch his chin as he thought about it, "That's gonna be hard to do." She looked back at him confused, "As far as the rest of the world knows, I'm Rien and he has no connection to the Arcs. It would be pretty suspicious if you just started to come see me and hang out, out of the blue. Especially, with the disdain you held towards me before."

She looked away with an embarrassed blush. She looked downtrodden with that but he just smirked, "But I may know of a way to fix that." She looked at him and he stood up and gave her a serious look, "Once a week, you will come to my place and I'm going to train you on how to use those swords of yours _. Properly_." He had a sadistic grin that made her swallow nervously, "So, be prepared because I won't hold back on making you a competent swordswoman."

She looked at him nervously and nodded slowly. After a few seconds her smile came back and she hugged him again. "I love you, Big Brother."

He smiled just as widely and returned the hug, "Love you too, Little Sister." This wasn't something he had ever planned on but he couldn't say he regretted it right now. Because he had at least one member of his family back. And as much as he wished the other members of his family could know too, right now, this was enough for him.


	13. The Draco

How many weeks had it been since Jaune revealed his identity to his sister? Three? No more than four? In that time, she would come to his temporary home just outside Beacon about every other day. They would go to the back and out of the sight of Beacon and he would continue to teach her swordsmanship. He had her use only one of her two swords for the time being, no point trying to teach her dual wielding if she didn't have much skill with both hands. He was only having her use her dominate hand for the time being, once she got that, they'd move onto her other hand then dual wielding.

The actual training had gotten to the point where he wouldn't just instruct her. She would swing at him and he'd parry or block her swings. It wasn't all that difficult for him but you were comparing ten years of experience against less than a year. He had shown her many different sword stances and swings but he left it up to her on how she would use them. He would then point out flaws in her stance or choices. Then they would usually begin again. She was coming along nicely but she still had a ways to go.

Aside from that, he was spending more time with RWBY and JNPR. Qrow had left Beacon to continue his work for Ozpin not long after he knew Jaune would alright without him around. Though Jaune did promise to rejoin him as soon as he took care of the Draco running around Vale's territory. With Void taken care of, it was starting to feel like things were going back to how they were before the Fall. Well, not exactly. With them knowing the truth now, a lot of things were shown in a new light to them. But when those nine were together, just laughing and hanging out, it was like all that was another world all together and they could just be happy. Complete.

None of them more so than Jaune. With Void gone, he had nothing left to hold himself back from being in their lives. He still couldn't tell the rest of his family, besides Olive, because he didn't want them to be targeted by Salem. But having Olive, Ren, Nora and Neo helped with that.

That wasn't the only thing to go back to the way it was. Yang, Pyrrha, Ruby and Blake had easily retaken their positions as his girlfriends. But some would argue they never lost that in the first place. He still felt like he betrayed them and didn't deserve to be with them. Those four were having none of that. They all but said, 'we are your girlfriends whether you like it or not.' Besides, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't happy that they still loved him as he loved them. He couldn't explain just how right it felt to have one of them close. To hold any of them in his arms. It was as if he had a piece of him back after losing it for so long.

The only difference was Weiss. She was still distant from him. Not in a cold way. It was more like there was this tension between them. It was like she didn't know how to interact with him anymore and he had no idea on how to even try to approach that subject. But he wasn't sure if he should in the first place. Weiss had placed a lot of trust in him and had opened up to him in ways she hardly ever did. He had hurt her, even if it was to protect her. She had every right to not want to be with him anymore. And if that was her choice, he'd let her go. Just like he had been prepared to do so with the others. Their safety and happiness was still his number one priority.

He had also got his Semblance back to the control he had before he had obtained Void. But he found out that not having to use Dust as a catalyst came with a tradeoff. He had come to realize that he had completely lost the ability to send his aura into his elements, which meant 'Stage Two' was gone. That didn't bother him too much, he rarely used it anyways and it was dangerous to use it more often than not. But it did save him in a few situations, so it was sad to know they were gone.

Along with that, the more troubling realization was that he couldn't combine the elements anymore. He had gotten back to the point where he could use two elements simultaneously again, if only for a short time. That's when he tried to fuse his elements again to form Advance Elements, but every time he tried, it failed. Instead, his Semblance would refuse to do so and he would get a very familiar sensation. A sensation that worried him. The sensation of creating Void. He may've been freed from its grip on his body but it wasn't gone. His body and soul were still capable of using it.

What would happen if he ever used it again? Would he go back to how he was before coming back to Beacon? Trapped and being killed by his own Semblance once again? And to be perfectly honest, that frightened him. He could only hope he didn't ever have to rely on that power again. But was that possible with the war going on in the shadows and the Drakes surfacing? Only time could tell.

* * *

Jaune was currently sitting in his living room. He was on the couch with the back to the door and in front of him was his coffee table, filled with a map of Vale's territories and papers. And a mug of coffee that he had refilled twice by now. Jaune had gotten paper copies of all the information he had on the Drake, possible Draco, that was going through Vale's territories and any document that could hold any similar information form Beacon's systems.

He had already marked the settlements he personally knew were destroyed on the chart along with the approximate date of when he believed the destruction to have happened. He then started the slow task of reading through all the documents and if he was sure it was possibly his target, he would mark the location and date in a different color. If the information turned out to be unrelated, he'd place it off to the side and promptly move on. His hope was to get a grasp on where this Grimm had been and maybe, even if it was low, figure out where it would go next. Or the general direction it was traveling in.

And yes, he could've done this on his scroll and glasses, but he didn't need any more eyestrain. He wore them enough in public, he didn't want to use them any more than he had to.

He had been at it for two hours now and he finally got through the last document. He marked the location and date before he put the document to the side. He then sighed and gently started to massage his eyes. He pulled his hand away and reached for his coffee to take a long and calming sip from it. Luckily it was still warm. Room temperature or, Oum forbid, cold coffee were just awful.

He placed he mug back down on the table and grabbed his marker as he started to go through all the locations he marked on the chart. Starting with the locations he knew were from the Drake/Draco, he started to look over the others and started to eliminate some. Some were just too far away from the them to be related or just didn't fit within the timeframe of the others. He had crossed off almost two dozen but there was still a dozen or so left. He couldn't whittle them down anymore though. Using them, he did get a general direction on where it was heading in, south. Directly towards Vale.

Jaune looked over the chart again while chewing on the end of the marker he was using. He started to mumble to himself, "This helps but the area to search is too big for me to search by myself. And Qrow is somewhere in western Sanus, so he won't be able to help me out. And even if he could come back, by the time he did, there's no telling how close to the Kingdom it'll be."

He groaned and tossed the marker onto the table before he leant back into the couch. He ran his hand down his face and just kept his eyes closed. He had no idea on what he should do now. Sometimes it seemed easier to live out in the Badlands. It was easier to track them down and he didn't have to worry on where he fought them when he did find them.

He just sat like that with his eyes closed. Trying to figure out something while he let his eyes rest. He suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around his chest. His eyes shot opened and he looked upwards just slightly to see the upside-down face of Yang smiling ta him, "Did I startle you?" she asked with a tiny grin.

He just returned it, "A little. Wasn't expecting you."

"I did say 'hi' when I walked in but you seemed distracted." She looked away from him then to the table. She raised an eyebrow as she still held him from behind from standing behind the couch. "What is all this?"

He looked at the table again and sighed, "A giant mess."

He heard her chuckled before he felt a pair of lips on the top of his head. "Well, you can tell me about it after I raid your fridge." She let him go and he saw her walking away from him and into his kitchen, with a noticeable sway to her hips. She looked over her shoulder with a knowing smirk and winked at him before she disappeared into the other room.

He just grinned and rolled his eyes. He sat there and took another sip from his coffee. Then he realized she was still wearing her Beacon uniform and that brought up a question, "Sun Fire? Please tell me you aren't skipping class."

She answered from the kitchen, "Please, would I do that?" He didn't answer, letting the silence do that for him. "Okay, okay. Maybe I would. But I'm not, Goodwitch would know I would hide here and I'd be screwed. My class got out early and I have a free period, so I decided to come down and spend some time with my favorite guy in." She answered in a sing-song voice.

Jaune just smiled at that before he gained a smirk, "Wow, I'm above your dad? And Qrow? Damn, I had no idea."

"Eh, it's a tie. Love you all a lot. Just in different ways." She answered and walked back into the living room with two plates in her hands. She sat down next to him and handed him one of them. He took it and looked down at the sandwich she made for him.

He looked over to her as she took a bite of her own. "You didn't have to do this."

She shrugged and spoke after she swallowed, "How many times have you cooked for me?" she asked rhetorically. "That is the least I can do. Besides, I have a feeling you haven't eaten anything today. And no, coffee doesn't count."

He just smiled at her sheepishly before he took a bite of his sandwich. The two of them ate their food as Jaune started to tell Yang what he had been doing for most of the morning. Yang listened intently to what he was saying and was nodding repeatedly. They eventually finished eating as he was ending his explanation, "And this is just a general idea on where it could be heading. But again, this could all just coincidence and I could be way off."

Yang just looked over everything again, the map, the documents and all the marks he had made. "Well, with all this work you put into this, it'd be a shame for it to go to waste, right? Besides, I'm confident you know what you're talking about. You are the only Drake specialist in the world. "

Jaune just sighed, "I love the faith, Yang, but it just not possible. It could take me weeks to search the entire area by myself. And if I'm wrong, then we wasted resources and would nowhere closer to this Grimm." He crossed his arms and just glared down at the map, "If only I could just reduce the area."

Yang just looked from him then back to the map. She understood what he meant and seeing how powerful they could be firsthand, she agreed they couldn't waste time. She looked back to the ones he had confirmed with his own eyes and titled her head slightly, "Why did it do that?" she asked out loud.

Jaune turned to her with a raised eyebrow, "What?"

She pointed down to the marks she was focusing on, "It attacked these settlements but there are other ones in between them. So, why did it avoid them or leave them alone, instead of attacking them?" She started to trail her finger over the marks, "There are at least one or two between each of these marks but it constantly avoided them."

Jaune just stared as her words sank in, "You're right. How'd I miss this?"

She shrugged, "Sometimes you need an outside perspective to see the obvious."

He started to look over his original marks again, looking at the dates as well and saw a pattern. "These are only a few days apart. No less than two but no more than four. So if I were to guess, after each encounter it had, it didn't attack for whatever reason. Or maybe it _couldn't_."

"Why would that be the case?" Yang asked confused.

Jaune just shrugged helplessly, "I don't know. Again, I know next to nothing about these Dracos because I rarely encountered them. But their goal may be different. Drakes always targeted Grimm to make themselves more powerful. This Draco however seems to be only attacking humans." He started to tap his index finger on the table as he just looked off in thought, "I'm getting more questions than answers."

He was pulled from his thoughts when Yang grabbed his shoulder in a reassuring manner. He turned to her and she was giving him a small smile, "You can focus on that later. Let's worry about this now." She let go and picked up the marker he was using before. "Let's eliminate the ones that don't fit into this new pattern and see where it goes."

Jaune watched as she did so and any of the ones that did fit into the pattern, she left a question mark beside them. After a couple of minutes, she was done and they focused on the three settlements that were closest to Vale. "So, these three would most likely be the Draco's latest target." Jaune said out loud.

He then gently took the marker from Yang and started to circle more settlements. "And these would most likely be its next targets, if we are right. They are close enough to fit into its time frame. Still too many to check though. If we're right, it will attack in the next day or two. Not enough time."

"Well, maybe Ozpin can help with that." Yang suggested. "Now that we have a clearer picture, he may have an idea on what to do."

Jaune just nodded, "You have a good point. No point in banging my head against the wall trying to figure this out. The old man may have some idea on what we should do." With that said, he started to roll up his map and walked to the door.

Yang was a few steps behind him, "You're just going to leave this mess?"

He was putting on his boots, "I'll clean it when I get back. This is a priority. Besides, it'll take me ten minutes to clean it." He then threw on his cloak and pulled up the hood before finally slipping on his sunglasses that quickly deployed into his mask.

He walked out of his place with Yang walking behind him. They made quick time back to Beacon and were soon in the elevator heading up to Ozpin's office. They stepped in to see that Ozpin was a his desk, doing work on his holo-screen. He looked up in time to see Jaune pull off his glasses and drop his hood, "Jaune, what do I owe this visit to?" he asked.

He held up the rolled up map in his hands, "May've had a break through in the Draco case, Oz." As he got closer, Ozpin shut off the screen and let Jaune roll out the map on his desk. He then started to explain what he and Yang had figured out so far while pointing out the marks on the map. Ozpin, the entire time, was just listening with his usual stoic expression. "If we are right about this, these four settlements would most likely be the next target."

Oz took a sip of his coffee before he answered. "How long would you think we have until it attacks?"

Jaune shrugged, "If we're right, a day or two at most."

Ozpin hummed to himself as he thought. "The best course to take would be to evacuate these settlements. Once the people are safe, we can put Huntsmen and Huntresses with a team to keep an eye out for it."

Jaune looked at the headmaster, "Are you sure, Oz? I mean if this was a Drake, we could come up with a strategy. But I have no idea on what a Draco can do."

"It is not ideal but it is the only option we have. We can send them and leave a Bullhead nearby each location. If the Draco does attack the settlement, the team can call the others and they can use it to rendezvous with them as back up. Plus, we'll have an ace out in the field." He looked into Jaune's eyes, "You and Team RWBY."

Jaune's eyes winded before they narrowed, "Care to explain that?"

"Jaune, you have taken down many of these type of Grimm, your expertise will be invaluable out there. But, you can't be at all four locations. So, I'll ask you to go to the one in the center, it'll be the closest to the other three. Meanwhile, Team RWBY has the fastest bullhead Atlas has to offer. That'll make it easier for you to get there in time to help deal with this Grimm, while minimizing the risk. On top of that, if you are the one to encounter it, you'll be able to hold it off until backup comes. Or even manage to kill it outright. And Team RWBY is the only team to have any experience against a Drake. It's the safest strategy."

Jaune just stared at Ozpin for almost a minute before he looked at the ceiling and groaned, "I hate when you're right."

Ozpin just had a smirk, "Well, that tends to happen." He then looked from the Swordsman to the other person in the room. "So, Miss Xiao Long, do you think you and your team will be ready for this mission?"

Yang just smiled, "Are you kidding? Ruby would be furious if you left us out of this mission, sir."

"Good to hear. I'll leave it to you to pass this onto your team and JNPR. I have a feeling they would want to be on this mission as well." He looked back to his desk and brought his holo-screen up, "Now if you two will excuse me, I need to get everything in order for tomorrow morning." With those words, the two blondes nodded and made their way to the elevator, with Jaune slipping back into his Rien persona. When they reached the bottom, Yang went to go tell their friends while Jaune went back to his place to clean up the mess he left.

* * *

The next morning, Jaune got up an hour before dawn. He got out of bed and did his light workout before jumping into his shower. When he was done, he threw on his clothes and armor before he grabbed a light breakfast and coffee. When he went to the door, he threw on his cloak and sunglasses.

Right before he left, he went back into his room to grab his new weapons. They weren't anything fancy, just five APSs: All Purpose Swords. They were a series of swords created by Atlas. Durable, mass produced and cost officiant. They created hundreds of them a year and they usually made back more than what they spent to make them. He ordered them to have a weapon since Void was no longer an option. It looked like a steel grey longsword but without the guard. In compact mode, the blade would compress into itself, like a telescope, so it would only be a third of its usual length.

He went over to his bed and pulled out a silver briefcase from under it. He opened it and revealed five swords in their compact forms. He pulled two out and attached them to both sides of his hip. He then closed the case and slid it back where it was before. And with that, he left to go meet up with the others at the airfield.

When he got there, he saw the four teams and the three Professors going through their final preparations before leaving. Professor Port was at one side, going over instruction with Team CRDL. That was a mild shock until he remembered that they were the third ranked team of the third years, right behind JNPR and RWBY. Doctor Oobleck was near another bullhead with Team CFVY. It was nice to see them after so long and Jaune found it hilarious to see Coco drinking as much coffee as Oobleck did. She was not a morning person apparently.

Jaune walked past them, giving them all nods, before he stopped next to Glynda with JNPR and RWBY next to her, " **Morning, everybody.** " They all returned the greeting, some with more energy than others, and Neo as Jasmine gave him a hug. Which he had no problem returning.

A few minutes after he had gotten there and everyone was finally ready, Glynda cleared her throat, "With everyone ready, let's go over the guidelines for this mission. When you touch down in the area, your Professor will radio into the rest of us. Once everyone is in position, we will keep in contact and brief the others every half an hour. If you encounter the Grimm, the Professor will immediately call it in and the rest of us will get on the bullhead and go their position as quickly as possible. If for whatever reason they cannot contact us, the team leader will be the one to call it in. Is that clear to everyone?"

Everyone nodded before Jaune stopped forward, " **Just one last thing. This Grimm is an unknown to everyone here. I recommend not taking any chances out there. Keep yourselves alive until you get back up. That is the only advice I can give right now.** "

Again everyone nodded and the Professors lead their respective teams onto the bullheads. With Glynda being in charge of JNPR. Neo gave him one more hug and when the other teams were on their respective bullheads, the rest of JNPR gave him their own hugs as well. Each telling him to stay safe in their own way. They then made their way onto their bullhead while Jaune joined up with RWBY on their Quicksilver.

When the door closed, he pulled down his hood and removed his mask. He relaxed as they took off and prepared himself for the flight. It would take an hour or so for them to get there but it would take the others an hour and a half to two hours. He was getting the feeling that it was going to be a long day.

* * *

The settlement they landed in was, in all honesty, a simple ranch. The only buildings they had was the barn and three houses that belonged to the families here. They had open fields for farmland and for their cattle but that was pretty much it. Jaune was currently on top of the barn and that allowed him to see the entire area and the tops of the forests that were almost a mile from there.

Him and RWBY had landed there just after seven in the morning. They started to prepare themselves and scouted the area. They eventually heard Glynda and Oobleck check in. Then Port twenty minutes later. With everyone in position, Jaune and RWBY came up with a rotation. One person would be on the barn for an elevated position. The others would partner up and scout the perimeter of the ranch. They would check in on occasions through their scrolls. But so far, there was nothing besides younger Grimm on the rare occasions.

It was already midday and they had gone through a full rotation so far. It would almost be time for Blake to take his position again. She was the first because of her night vision and the fact the forest was still dark when they arrived. He sighed and gently massaged his forehead trying to relieve the headache that was surfacing. He had forgone his mask since he had no need to hide his face out here and he had a similar voice distortion program on his scroll to hide his voice when he called in. Besides, the girls preferred to see his face and not just the metal mask.

At that point, his scroll went off, "Rien, this is Glynda, how is everything on your end?"

He put his scroll to his mouth, "Same as before, Glynda. Nothing, just the occasional Beowolf."

"Same here." Port joined the conversation. "Please keep us in the loop, Rien."

"Always." Jaune replied. "How about you, Doctor?"

"I'm afraid to say we have had nothing but the more common variety of Grimm over here." Oobleck rattled off.

"Alright, everyone stay on guard. Report in in another half an hour." Glynda chimed in.

The three men gave their affirmatives and ended the call. Jaune looked down to see Ruby and Weiss coming from the south while Blake and Yang were doing the same from the north. As they were approaching the barn, his eyes shifted to light green and he jumped off the barn roof. He used his wind control to form a small vortex below him to slow his descent and landed gently on his feet. "So, I take it that everything is clear?"

They all nodded before Ruby spoke up, "Only thing we've seen are just some Beowolves." That's when her stomach started to growl loudly, causing the reaper to blush. "I guess I'm hungry."

Jaune just smiled, "Why don't you all take a break and eat lunch. I'll keep an eye out while you do."

Yang had a different idea, "Or we could take Bumblebee and do another quick perimeter. By the time we get back, they'll be done and we can eat while they keep an eye out. That'll give us all a bit of time to rest before getting back to it."

Jaune thought it over before he looked at the RWB of RWBY, "Are you three okay with that?"

They looked at each other before they nodded and Blake spoke up, "That should be fine. Besides, I don't know about these two but my feet are killing me."

That caused him to chuckle, "Alright, you three rest. Yang and I will be back soon. And please keep an eye out, just in case."

As Jaune and Yang made their way behind one of the houses, where the Quicksilver was parked, the three girls started to relax in the shade of the barn as they ate. Yang walked into the cargo section and soon wheeled out Bumblebee. "So, do you take it with you every time you go on mission?" Jaune asked.

She shook her head, "Not always. I just thought it may help us cover some extra ground. But anyone not partnered with me wouldn't be able to keep up and it would just ruin the rotation." She quickly got on her bike and tapped the seat behind her, "Come on, we're wasting time." He didn't argue and sat down directly behind her while wrapping his arms around her stomach. She kicked the engine into life before the two took off to start checking the perimeter.

As they drove, both kept their eyes open for anything out of the ordinary but saw nothing. Both did take silent enjoyment with the opportunity of being able to ride with the other once again. But they tried not to let it distract them.

When they were at the northern part of the perimeter, which just so happened to be the furthest from the ranch, Jaune noticed something on their left. He thought for a second that he saw a flash of red. But when he looked he saw nothing. He was about to ignore it when he noticed the shadow below them was quickly growing. He quickly looked up and saw something about to land on them.

"Yang!" he shouted before he stood up on the seat. He kept his arms locked around her stomach as he pulled her from the seat. That was when he jumped backwards, to her confusion and shock. The two landed ten feet back and Bumblebee kept going forward before the lack of driver caused it to veer to the right, just being missed as the massive Grimm landed beside it.

That's when they saw it in all its terrifying glory. The Grimm had to be twenty feet tall and was quadrupedal. Its arms were twice as long as it's hind legs. It had a hunch back, similar to a Beringel, and the front legs were twice as thick as its hind legs. The hind legs bend backwards, similar to a Beowolves and ended in three talon like claws. Two in the front and the third on the back, each about nine inches long. Its back, arms, legs and most of its chest were covered in white bone armor with glowing red markings. Going down its spine were a dozen curves spikes, which curved away from its head. Its front legs ended in four claws that were also nine inches long but what stuck out were the two spikes that stuck forward from the back of its hand/claw, one on each. The were two feet long and were bone white. Finally, its neck was elongated and the head was very similar to a Drakes, except it only had a single horn that came from the top of its head and curved forward, kind of like a Mohawk. Its blood red eyes glowed with bloodthirst and possible intelligence.

One thing was confirmed though. They were right about where the Draco would strike next.


	14. The Unimagineable

Jaune and Yang were standing across from the hulking creature in front of them. The Draco just stared at them with bloodthirsty, red eyes. They knew there was a good possibility that they'd be the ones to encounter the Grimm but seeing it now was startling.

Jaune let go of Yang and stood in front of her, glaring at the beast, "Yang, call the rest of your team and have Ruby call Glynda and the others." His hands went to each of his APSs and pull them from his belt in a reverse grip. He flipped them in his hand to hold them properly and the blades extended to their full length. "I'll hold it off while you do."

Yang nodded and quickly pulled out her scroll. That was when Jaune charged the Draco. He only made it halfway to it before it was on top of him. It had cleared the distance with a leap. It definitely was quick for its size. It roared and pulled its right arm back before throwing it forward, trying to impale him with its bone spike. Jaune sidestepped and crossed his swords on his left to divert the attack. He grit his teeth and his eyes shifted to red before he shoved the arm to the side with his enhanced strength.

The Draco titled its head in confusion before thrusting forward with its other bone spike. Jaune managed to parry it with his right sword before he brought his left blade on the halfway point of the spike, splitting it in two.

The Draco pulled its arm back and looked down at its broken spike. Jaune grinned and was about to capitalize on it but stopped when he saw black Grimm essence slowly rise from the cut spike. Next thing he knew, a new bone spike erupted form the half, fixing it. Now that was a shock, he had never seen a Grimm do that before.

It raised its new spike, intent on impaling him but it quickly stopped when numerous red buckshots collided into it. It stopped and looked over to Yang as she was bombarding it with Ember Celica. Jaune used the opportunity to create a dozen fireballs around himself and pelted it with them. As it was covered by smoke, he jumped back and landed beside his blonde girlfriend. "Ruby is calling the other groups and once she's done, they'll be heading to back us up."

With a roar, the Draco threw its arms to the side and the smoke was displaced. It stared at them but it didn't look any worse for wear, besides parts of its body smoking. "So, what do you have in mind?" Yang asked Jaune but didn't take her eyes off the Grimm.

Jaune just kept analyzing it, "I'm not sure yet. My offensive abilities have been lowered with Void gone so I can't just engage it straightforward. Especially, since I still don't know what this thing can do. It's definitely as strong and fast as a Drake. It's endurance as well." His eyes flicked over to Yang and her eyes me this own. "But that's all I know so far about this Draco."

" _ **Draco?**_ " said a deep but definitely not human voice. The two froze in shock and slowly looked over to the Grimm as it tilted its head to the side. It looked like it was looking at them with an intrigued look in its eyes. It started to move its jaw, revealing the row of sharp teeth and the same voice came from it, " _ **Did you just call me a Draco?**_ "

Jaune just kept staring as Yang slowly got out, "Did…did the Grimm just talk?"

The Draco turned to her and continued, " _ **Yes, I did.**_ " It gave her a Grimm equivalent of a grin. " _ **It Is always amusing to see the shocked faces of you humans when I do too**_ _._ " It let out a borderline evil chuckle, " _ **Now what is a Draco?**_ "

Jaune gripped his weapons tighter, "It's what I've been calling Grimm like you, the ones that evolve from the Drakes. Although, you're only the second one I've seen."

It tilted it's head to the other side in thought, _**"Draco.**_ " It said as if testing how it sounded. It then nodded, " _ **It sounds adequate. Now, as a thank you for the name, I will devour you and you will help with my further evolution.**_ " It opened its maw and started to charge the same energy attack that the Drakes had displayed.

Not wanting to take any chances, Jaune tapped into his earth Semblance, turning his eyes brown. He quickly punched the ground and four stone pillars erupted from the ground at an angle in front of the Draco. They slammed into its chest and neck, pushing it back and causing it to release the beam out into the distance. They could see the top of the barn get destroyed by it.

The Draco turned back to them in annoyance before it roared and smashed the pillars with little issue. Jaune tapped into his lightning Semblance and as soon as his eyes were yellow, took off towards the Grimm in a flash of lightning. At the same time, Yang pulled her arms back, cocking them, and started to unload more ammo into the Draco as cover fire.

The Draco roared in annoyance again as the shots hit its hide and armor. Jaune flashed around it legs and back, slashing at it with his APSs but only leaving nicks in its armor and shallow cuts into its skin. He started to run from its left to its front when it brought its left forearm down where he would've been. He narrowly dodged the attack but he had little time to dodge its right bone spike from moving towards his face. He managed to just avoid it and it barely scraping his left cheek, his aura protecting it. That's when he was caught in its right claws.

The Draco smirked and raised him off the ground, squeezing him as it did. Jaune screamed in pain as he heard Yang shout, "Jaune!" His arms were pinned to his sides and he had no time to switch his Semblance to another element. In a desperate attempt, he channeled a large amount of electricity around his body before discharging it with another shout. The discharge was so bright, it blinded both the Grimm and Yang temporarily.

The light died down and Jaune was still held in the Draco's grip. Now though, it had its eyes closed and was thrashing its head around, " _ **My eyes!**_ " it roared before something slammed into its side and hard. It threw Jaune and he bounced off the ground, twenty feet away before bouncing off it. He managed to right himself and slid across the ground in a crouch.

He took in a few pained gasps of air and looked up with his originally blue eyes. He had temporarily exhausted his lightning Semblance and he would need time before he could use it again, at least that didn't change about his Semblance. He saw that Yang was holding onto its side and was punching it as hard as possible. He saw that the armor was starting to crack. The Draco roared in pain and fury, " _ **You little-**_ " It cut itself off as its serpentine head whipped forwards and snagged Yang in its jaws before she could react.

It tried to crush her but she was barely holding its top jaw from coming down on her with her arms but her aura was straining the entire time from her back being forced into the bottom row of teeth. "Yang, hold on!" Jaune shouted. His eyes shifted to brown before he slashed his sword across the ground and towards the Draco, creating an earth-wave towards the Grimm.

It slammed into its chest and even pushed it onto its hind legs. It's neck whipped upwards from the assault and Yang managed to pry it's jaws open enough to escape. She was flung into the air and at the height of her ascent, she managed to flip so she was facing the trapped Grimm. She reached over her right shoulder and pulled Kakiri free from its sheathe. She threw her arms behind her and discharged two simultaneous shots to propel herself back towards the Grimm, that had fallen to its side from Jaune's assault.

It looked up at Yang and opened its jaws, charging another of its energy attacks. It was distracted when an air blade cut into its side and it eyes trailed down, over the path of upturned earth, to see Jaune with his sword ready and his eyes now light green. He shifted its aim to him and Jaune began to swing with his left arm for another air blade. He was shocked when the attack came much quicker than expected; although it was smaller, more of a blast instead of a beam, and was moving much faster.

Having no way of dodging it in time, Jaune decompressed the air around his blade, shifting it from an air blade into a wide range air blast. His arm was just barely up and the air blast was released just as the energy attack was on him. The air slowed down the attack for only a fraction of a second before it broke through. The attack met his APS and it only lasted a few fractions of a second longer before it shattered into metal fragments. All of Jaune's survival instincts kicked in and he quickly pushed himself to the side with a huge gust of wind. The attack missed him, although he could still feel the heat from it, and hit the ground twenty feet behind him, creating a crater with a twelve foot diameter.

Jaune turned back to hear Yang screamed and come down with a two-handed swing with her broadsword, blade clad in flames. She was aiming for the point where the neck met the head, the fatal weak point of the Drakes, but the Draco moved its head at the last second to look back up at her. That caused her to cut vertically across it's right eye, destroying it and burning the eye socket and flesh around the eye. It thrashed its head around and roared in pain, so Yang kicked off its cheek to get away. She fired another set of blasts from her gauntlets and landed beside Jaune.

She looked at him in concern, "Are you okay?"

He nodded, "Tired but still standing." He looked down at his APS and saw that it was just a handle with three inches of the blade as jagged metal. He sighed in annoyance before he tossed it to the side, "I'm down a weapon though." He shook his hand slightly and worked his fingers to make sure it wasn't damaged from the attack.

"Any ideas yet?" she asked as she stretched her arms and back.

He looked over at her and seeing Kakiri gave him an idea but it was risky if they got too close, "Actually, I might. But do you have any way to shoot Kakiri's fire at a longer range?"

She raised her eyebrow at him before she smirked, "Lucky for you, Rubes made a few upgrades to this baby." She raised her right arm and pressed a button on the crossgaurd. The blade split right up the middle and each half moved to the end of the of the cross guard. The handle snapped into a compartment on her right Ember Celica, on the inner forearm, with the use of a magnet and the crossgaurd attached to the front of the metal section on the back of her hand. The gun barrel poked out of a section of the guard and the two blades attached to either side of her gauntlet, before they slid down to her wrist, forming a katar.

Yang gave it a few swings to reacquaint herself with the weapon. She then nodded and looked back over to the stunned Jaune. She smirked, "As much as I like the sword, I'm no swordswoman. Ruby designed this mode so it'd be more up my alley. It can also let's me fire the flames from a longer range. So, what's the plan?"

Jaune shook himself from his shock and held up his left hand. He rapidly started to compress air into it and soon there was highly compressed ball of air in his palm, it almost looked like a vortex was condensed into an orb. Yang stared at it, thoroughly impressed. "I'm going to shoot this at the Draco, right for the chest. I want you to shoot your flames at it before it hits it. This'll cause one hell of an explosion."

She nodded and pulled her right fist back, readying herself. Jaune did the same with his left hand and when he was sure of the shot, threw his arm forward. The air blast flew fast and gave enough recoil to make him take a step back. As the blast was closing in on the Draco, Yang aimed her shot and punched forward. As she did this, the two blades cloaked themselves in flames again and as she fired her shot from Ember Celica, the flames were pulled to it and fired off a more condensed fireball.

The two blondes stared in anticipation and time seemed to slow down. As the two attacks started to near each other and the Draco. The Draco just managed to get back onto its feet and the attacks looked perfect. Their timing was off though, the air blast hit first and quickly started to expand, the fireball hit just slightly after and ignited the oxygen. Next thing the saw was an eruption of fire swallow up the Draco and hide it from them. A wave of hot air rolled over them causing their hair and clothing to get ruffled by it. They both shielded their faces with their arms as they waited to see what happened.

They slowly lowered their arms to see an inferno where the Draco was standing. The flames glowing so bright that they couldn't see past them. "Think we got it?" Yang asked.

Jaune just stared into the flames trying to see through them. He was about to say something but at that instance, he saw a flash of red and his eyes grew in size. He quickly blasted Yang to the side with a burst of wind, to her utter shock. And as soon as he did, his eyes shifted to brown and the Draco's energy attack, the blast variant, was flying towards him. He crossed his arms and tried to raise a rock wall for some kind of defense but he was too slow. The blast tore through the half raised wall and his arm weren't even completely up before it slammed into his chest.

Jaune screamed as the attack hit him off his feet and sent him flying backwards, dropping his APS in the process. Jaune was carried away by the attack and flew into the distance pretty quickly. All Yang could do form her position on the ground was stare helplessly, "Jaune!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

She was pulled from the sight as she heard a deep and grating laugh coming from behind her. She turned to see the Draco walking out of the quickly dying flames. It had several more burns across its body and it's bone armor looked to still be intact. Except for its bone plating on its chest. It had a lot of cracks running across it and the exposed skin was so burned, that the Grimm's internal red light could be seen through it. Made sense since the explosion happened right in front of it. Along with that was the heavily burnt and empty right eye socket. " _ **That last attack of yours was very good. Too bad for you two you didn't aim for my head.**_ "

Yang glared at the beast before she stood back up and weapons at the ready, "Thanks for the tip. We'll try that once he gets back here."

The Grimm just chuckled again, " _ **He's not coming back. That attack may not be a strong as my first since I didn't charge it completely but it is more than enough to deal with him.**_ "

Yang just shook her head, "You know nothing about him. He has survived worse than you, you overgrown Grimm. I _know_ that didn't kill him." She got into her fighting stance with her katar at the ready. "So, all I have to do is beat on you until he gets back here so we can finish you off."

The Draco stared at her before it did its equivalent of a grin, " _ **You can try.**_ " With those words, it lunged at her with its right bone spike. Yang fired from her left gauntlet to easily dodge the attack before she jumped onto its extended arm. She raised Kakiri and the blades were bathed in flames before she screamed and plunged them into the arm. Her heightened strength allowed her to get passed the bone armor and into the flesh underneath it.

The Draco roared and tried to snatch her up into its jaws like before but she just aimed her other gauntlet into its mouth hand fired several shots down its throat. The force behind them also pushed her back and off the arm, with her katar's blades cutting more into it before finally coming loose. As soon as her feet were back on the ground, she reared her fist back and fired another condensed fireball between its eyes. The attack forced it to pull its head back in pain and from the force of the impact.

With it distracted, Yang flicked her wrist a certain way and Kakiri reverted back into its broadsword form. She gripped it tightly before she fired off with both of her gauntlets towards the base of the skull again. She used the last of her Dust to light the blade on fire one last time as she flew towards her target. Unfortunately, the Draco managed to backhand her with its right forearm and knock her away. As she was flying away, she angled her sword and fired the flames as a stream that caught the entire arm of the Grimm but it wasn't as effective as she hoped.

She angled herself to land on her feet and skidded across the ground. When she stopped she stared at the Grimm as she took several deep breathes. 'This thing packs a punch. If I take another hit like that, my aura will be gone. But I think I have enough energy stored up to be able to get rid of that bone plating on its chest. If I do that, maybe we can kill it with one good hit.'

With that idea in mind, she prepared herself as the Draco turned its attention back to her and started to charge one of its energy attacks again. This time luck was on her side, it was interrupted when a white armored fist punched it on the side of its head. Stopping the attack from being charged. It didn't take kindly to that and shoved its right bone spike into the left shoulder of Weiss' Arma Gigas and pushed it back.

Yang was grateful and more so when her sister landed next to her with the help of her Semblance. "You alright, Sis?" she asked.

She sighed and grinned at her, "Better now that you girls are here." She got serious. "Jaune?"

She nodded, "He's banged up but should be fine. What about you?"

"I'm getting low on ammo and used all of my sword's Dust." She told her sister as she sheathed it back onto her back. "And my aura's almost spent. But I might have an idea on how to kill this thing. If you guys can distract it and give me an opening, I may be able to destroy the bone plating on its chest. Then Weiss can run it through with her Knight's sword."

Ruby thought it over and nodded, "I'll pass it onto the others." As soon as she said that, she used her Semblance to rejoin Weiss and Blake. As her sister was telling her teammates what the plan was, Yang took a few deep breathes to calm herself and to prepare herself to attack when the opportunity arose.

Yang watched as Weiss' Arma Gigas was now wrestling with the Draco. It still had it's one bone spike in its shoulder while the summon had its right hand on the Grimm's other arm so it couldn't impale it again and the other hand was gripping its throat so it couldn't blast it. The two were stomping around on the ground, trying to gain an advantage over the other.

Yang saw Blake and Ruby run towards the two and jumped onto it's back. She heard the reaper shout, "Ladybug!" and the two started to speedily cut into the back, sides and hind legs. The beast growled and its eye focused on the two irritating it. That gave Weiss the chance to have her summon drive its knee into its chest and lifting it off the ground. Ruby and Blake quickly jumped away from the two to not get caught up in the assault. It then slammed the Grimm onto its back as it roared in a combination of shock and pain.

Yang activated her Semblance at that moment and under her, she saw a Time Dilation glyph appear, curtesy of Weiss, her eyes flicked over to the heiress and nodded before she charged towards the downed prey. Her speed was higher than normal so she cleared the distance in no time and she jumped towards the bone armor, the ground shattering under her as she did. She pulled her right fist back and with a shout, drove it into the heavily cracked area of the bone armor. The bone plate spider webbed and shattered, the bone fragments flying around her as the Draco roared again at feelings its armor break and some pieces being pushed into its flesh.

Yang quickly leapt off the Grimm and next to Weiss as the Arma Gigas let go of the beast's arm and summoned its sword into its free hand. It twisted it into a reverse grip and drove the massive blade into its chest, killing it.

Or at least, that's what they hoped would happen. The summon was trying to drive the blade into the beast's chest but to no avail. The Draco's other bone spike was burrowed into its sword arm's elbow, only letting the blade shallowly stab into it. " _ **Nice try.**_ " Was all it said as it tore its bone spike through the elbow of the knight, severing the arm from the body and the sword falling to the side. It then pushed itself from the ground and drove the same bone spike into the chest of the summon. The Draco pushed it to the ground, pinning it, and started to channel its weaker energy attack before firing it into the head of the Gigas. Ending it.

RWBY was shocked and just stared as the summon slowly faded away. The Grimm raised itself onto its hind legs and roared into the sky in victory. Yang and Weiss were standing on shaky feet, both exhausted from using their Semblances. Ruby and Blake ran to stand in front of their exhausted partners. None of them knew what to do now. They did everything they could and now they were down two members because of exhaustion.

The Draco looked back down at the four Huntresses-in-Training. It's remaining eye glowing with satisfaction as it opened its maw again. Energy started to charge but with the amount of time it was taking, it was the beam variant. They couldn't get away from its range in time, Ruby couldn't move all four of them with her Semblance and Blake's Shadow would still have them within range of it. "What now?" Yang asked herself and her team as a whole.

* * *

For those seconds he was in the air, he could feel the attack destroy his chestplate and trying to break through his aura and it would if he didn't do something quick. He was only in as good shape because of his earth Semblance increasing his endurance and there was no way he could swap now. He channeled his aura into his arms and his right eye shifted to red. His body started to glow with both red and brown aura before he gripped the energy blast, which was as tall as him, with his hands. He could feel his gloves burning but with a shout of pure desperation, pushed the blast off of him.

The blast was sent into the forest and he was thrown to the ground hard. His back collided with Remnant before he bounced and tumbled across the ground, hitting his shoulder, ribs, stomach before ending on his back again and sliding to a stop. He took several ragged breathes and was in so much pain. His aura was barely at an eighth and his eyes were back to their original eye color. He couldn't do anything but lay there as he hoped that the pain would subside enough for him to get to Yang before it was too late.

"Jaune!" he heard another voice shout before a flurry of rose petals landed beside him. He felt two hands slowly help him up into a sitting position. He looked into scared silver as Ruby asked, "Are you alright?"

He looked behind her to see Weiss and Blake arrive with the help of the former's Glyph. They ran to him and Blake knelt down on his other side. He popped his neck and spoke up, "Not in the best shape but I'll live." He looked past Blake and saw that Yang was engaging with the Draco a couple hundred meters away. "You three need to back her up."

"What about you?" Weiss asked him and he looked at her as she showed clear signs of worry for him.

He gave her a tired smirk, "I just need a breather and I'll join you all. Now go on." He motioned over to the battle with his right hand. Blake and Weiss turned to Ruby and she nodded. Blake and Ruby both gave him a brief hug before the three ran to join their last teammate, Ruby using her Semblance of course. Once he knew they were out of earshot, Jaune groaned in pain. "I never thought I'd miss those aura shots but I could really use one now."

Jaune watched in exhaustion as Weiss' summoned Grimm battled with the Draco. He saw a golden comet, which he knew was Yang, slam into its chest. He couldn't help but grin when the white knight slammed the black dragon into the ground and impale through the chest with its sword. That grin fell when he saw the Grimm pick up the Arma Gigas and reverse their positions and destroy it with an energy attack. It turned to the sky and roared.

His eyes widened in fear. 'I need to stop it. But how!? None of the elements are strong enough! Wait…' His right hand twitch in realization. 'Void. I-I can still access it. It could be enough. But…what'll happen to me if I use it again?'

That's when it turned to RWBY and started to charge another energy attack. That's when everything fell away and he was sprinting towards the Draco. His body reacted on reflex, fusing his remaining Aura with the five elements as his eyes shifted to that borderline black-purple. He threw his right arm to the side and the Void orb manifested. His eyes flicked over to it. 'This is the only one I can make. Can't risk it.'

He clenched his fist and the Void orb flattened into a disk a few inches wider than his fist. It then slid from his knuckles up to his elbow, coated his entire forearm and fist in Void. His speed started to increase from the little Void added into his system as he shouted, "Look over here, you damned bastard!"

The Draco and RWBY did before staring in shock. The Draco could feel something different about the human now. Something dangerous. Not wanting to take a chance, it fired its beam at Jaune. His girlfriends screamed at him but he couldn't afford to dodge it or he'd lose speed and he was running on fumes right now. So instead, he shuffled to his left as he ran and as the beam was fired, he raised his right arm up on his right side.

He could feel the side of the beam scrap along his Void covered arm. He could feel the intense heat and energy off the attack but the Void protected him from any damage, allowing him to keep running forward. Luckily, he was in its new blind spot, so it couldn't see him. The energy soon dissipated and Jaune used the last of his aura, that wasn't in the Void, to leap toward the Grimm.

As he was in the air, he pulled his fist back. The Draco turned its head to see him with its only eye and drove it's right bone spike into shoulder. Jaune grit his teeth in pain but quickly smashed his left forearm into it with a back hand, shattering the spike with his enhanced strength so it wouldn't completely impale him. With a shout, he drove his Void fist into the Draco's chest. He landed on the chest and held on as he was up to his elbow in the Grimm's chest. Without risking another second, he shifted the Void armor from the inner portion of his arm into a long thin blade that stuck out its back and swung his arm to the right. He freed his arm and almost sliced the Draco in two.

The five people and the single Grimm were frozen, not sure on if it was over or not. That was until The Draco tipped to the side and Jaune jumped from the falling body. He landed on his knees as the beast finally fell. He was breathing raggedly as he covered his arm in Void again, just in case it wasn't over yet.

He heard a weak chuckle coming from the fallen Grimm and he turned to see that it was moving its head to look at him with its eye, " _ **You did it, congratulations. Too bad…you didn't hear what I said before. You should've…aimed for my….hea…**_ " It couldn't finish its sentence. It's red eyes stopped glowing and turned black.

It's body started to dissolve as every Grimm did. Except the Grimm essence was converging onto Jaune, or more precisely, the bone spike still wedged in his shoulder. He could feel the remains of the Grimm flooding not his body through it and all he could do was scream in intense pain.

"Jaune!" RWBY shouted in sync and ran toward him. But were pushed back by the black smoke swirling around him like a twister. They could hear him scream and see him thrashing in pain. After what felt like an eternity, the smoke dissipated, leaving Jaune laying on his back on the ground. Before any of them could take a single step towards him, they heard him start to chuckle. They were confused until his chuckles turned to full blown laughter and he slowly started to get back to his feet. Once he was on his feet, he turned to them and they all froze at what they saw. He was grinning at them but his eyes weren't their normal blue. Not even the dark purple of Void. They were blood red and glowing.

" _ **Looks like I found a real gem this time.**_ " Said the Draco's voice from Jaune's mouth.

* * *

 **A/N- Here's the next one! Now I know there are probably a few questions floating around now about the Drakes and Dracos, they will be answered in the next chapter. Now the bad news: It is going to be a while before I put another chapter out for TVS. It's nothing severe, so don't worry. My plan is to update Distortion next and then I want to focus completely on DVYL May Cry until it is finished, which should only be 5-6 chapters. Similar to what I did for Unraveling the Knight. Once I do that, I'll be back to updating my other stories again. With that said, I hope you can all enjoyed the chapter nad will be here for the next one. See you all int he next update!**

 **Before I forget: the amazing Beta Reader for this chapter was Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh**


	15. Remarkable Occurrences

The members of RWBY were just staring at Jaune. But it wasn't him. His eyes were still glowing red and he had black crack-like marks around them. His face had a broken smile as he looked down at himself with his arms out. He started to clench and unclench his hands, " _ **This vessel isn't bad. And so much aura, it's going to take me much longer to completely incorporate it into myself.**_ " He spoke in the same voice as the Draco. He then raised his right arm, still coated in Void, and raised an eyebrow, " _ **Hmmm, this has something to do with his Semblance. I need to know what it can fully do.**_ "

Yang was the first one to get a grip and take a step closer to him, "What did you do to Jaune?" she hissed.

His red eyes flicked over from his arm to her. He gave her a twisted grin, " _ **Well, its good to know that you're not stupid.**_ " He then chuckled, " _ **He's still here. I've just taken his body for my own for a while. I'll be sure to give him back.**_ " His grin turned malicious, " _ **After I get everything I need out of him.**_ "

Ruby cocked her weapon and glared at him, "Let him go. Now."

" _ **Or what? You'll make me.**_ " He chuckled again. " _ **You humans think that you can just force me to do anything. You can't do anything to me now. I'm inside him. So anything you try to do to me will just hurt him and I'll be fine. So feel free and make me.**_ "

"How is this even possible?" Weiss said with an angry glare. "Jaune ran you through with his attack."

" _ **He didn't destroy my head, obviously.**_ " That just confused them all. " _ **I'll give you a lesson on us Dracos since you are so out of your depth. You see, when a Grimm reaches this level of our evolution, we gain new abilities. The obvious is gaining of blast attack to compliment our beam. But each of us gains a unique ability that no other Grimm possesses.**_ " He chuckled. " _ **And mine is Possession, ironically.**_ "

Blake just narrowed her eyes, "So, you're just an overgrown Geist then. How underwhelming."

Instead of taking offense, it just laughed, " _ **You wouldn't be too far off. My creation was unusual for my kind and I was a Geist before I became what I am now. But I don't have time for that.**_ " He lowered his stance and pulled his right arm back, preparing to attack. " _ **I need to deal with you all and escape.**_ "

They all dropped into a defensive stance all knowing what Void could do. But to their confusion, they saw his Void covered arm become enveloped by a purple outline. They knew that only happened when Jaune had to offset Void's destructive nature with his aura. The Grimm looked at the arm in annoyance. " _ **Seems he isn't as easily dominated as I thought. Meddling fool.**_ " He hissed angrily.

That's when he rocketed forward at them. Yang took a step to her right for him to miss and Weiss took several steps back. The Grimm slammed the Void fist into the ground, shattering the ground effortlessly. Before they could react, he pulled his arm free and spun to backhand Ruby on his left. She managed to block it with her weapon but she was still send back several feet from the impact.

Before any of them could react, he kept spinning himself until his palm was facing Weiss and red energy started to gather in it quickly. Once it was the size of a softball, he smirked and fire the blast at her. Weiss quickly summoned two Glyphs, one in front of her as a shield and the other underneath her to launch her to the side. The blast shattered the Glyph after a second of resistance and flew into the forest before detonating further.

The four women stared in shock as the Grimm looked down at his Void covered hand with a raised eyebrow. " _ **Haven't been able to create one that powerful before in a vessel. This one is very special.**_ " He then clenched his fist and grit his teeth as he focused on creating a Void spike from the back of his wrist, reminiscent of the bone spikes it had in its physical form. It was about twenty inches long and was two inches of at its widest. It then pulled his arm back and pounced towards Blake.

She was able to cross her two blades to catch it and direct it to the side, just missing her cheek. She then put her foot onto his chest and shoved him backwards. As he was off balance, he felt a grip on the back of his cloak and was thrown further away, as he was flying he saw that Yang had been the one to do so. Using the enhanced reflexes of his Void enhanced vessel, he landed in a crouch with little issue and slid back for only a few more feet. He just looked up to them with a smirk, it wasn't afraid. It was excited.

Before he could take off at them again, a series of Dust shots impacted the ground in front of him, creating a smokescreen. Yang lowered her arm and Blake stepped up next to her. Weiss jogged over to them and Ruby appeared next them with the use of her Semblance. "We need a plan. Quick." Yang said out loud.

Ruby quickly took out her scroll to check Jaune's aura level. Her eyes widened, "This isn't good. He has very little aura left in him. If we try to fight him, we may just end up really hurting him or worse."

"At least that thing can't use Void very well." Blake chimed in as she loaded an ice Dust clip into Gambol Shroud. "It took him a lot of concentration to just form that spike. Likes try to immobilize him for now."

"I think that's all we'll be able to do for now." Weiss said in resignation as she spun her chamber to her ice Dust while Ruby did the same as Blake and loaded an ice clip of her own. Weiss eyes locked onto Yang's, "You be careful. You've used your Semblance so your aura is very low. So no crazy antics, got it?"

Yang would've joked but considering the circumstances she just reluctantly nodded, "Alright, alright. I'll try."

Before they could continue, the Grimm possessed Jaune erupted from the smoke towards them with his arm with the spike pulled back. Yang immediately charged forwards. She sidestepped the spike so it would just miss her. She then closed the distance to grapple him. Her right arm went around his stomach as she spun around so her chest was against his back then wrapped her left arm around his throat. It was then she realized his Void hand had already been charging another of its energy attacks.

Her eyes widened but before she could shout, it fired the blast at her team. The sphere of crimson red energy flew towards them like a bullet. Weiss quickly used a Glyph to launch her to the right as Ruby grabbed Blake and flew them both away in a cloud of red and black rose petals. The blast impacted the ground and created a crater, sending the debris flying everywhere. Ruby and Blake were fine considering they're very close to being incorporeal forms but Weiss wasn't so lucky. Several large chunks of rock and dirt collided with her spine sending her to the ground and doing a number on her aura.

"Weiss!" Yang shouted and was unprepared for what was next. In her moment of distraction, Grimm-possessed Jaune bent forward slightly before he kicked off the ground as hard as he could. That forced him off the ground and pushed her off balance and onto the ground. The impact on her back and all of Jaune's weight on her chest made the air leave her lungs temporarily. Her grip loosened and it managed to break free.

She felt his weight shift off her and she felt a hand pushed down on her chest. She opened her eyes to see the glowing red of the Draco stare at her. Jaune's face cracked into a malicious smirk before he pulled his arm back before trying to plunge it into her face. She quickly grabbed his forearm with both of her hands and pushed against it. She could usually overpower Jaune but his Void infused aura pushed his strength just below her's and with him in an more advantage position, she didn't know if she could do this. Especially with her trying to reclaim her breath after having it knocked out of her.

Before they could find out, a familiar gunshot was heard and he was impacted on his right shoulder. The force pushed him off Yang and back a step or two with his shoulder covered in ice. His eyes snapped over to see Ruby with her sniper out and she fired another shot that covered his other shoulder in ice. He was forced to take another step backwards.

The possessed Jaune started to bat the Dust rounds away with his Void spike, shattering the ice before it could reach him. That's when several different but more frequent gunshots were heard and started to impact his legs, coating them in ice as well. He looked to the side to see Blake running towards him and firing. He started to bring his other hand up to try to create another blast but as he did, a chunk of ice knocked his hand to the side stopping him. He looked to see that Weiss was the cause of this.

Another of Ruby's rounds impacted his stomach and froze the area around it. That was when Blake managed to get behind him. She jumped onto his back, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his chest: one going under his arm and the other going over his shoulder before locking hands over his chest. Before he could try to throw her off, she used her Semblance to leave an ice Shadow on his back, restraining him even more.

They kept firing and soon his entire body was stuck in a giant chunk of ice, only leaving his head free. Jaune tried to struggle against it but he had absolutely no leverage to break free. They all started to walk closer to him. "I think we got him." Blake said out loud with Gambol Shroud still in its kusarigama form, ready to fire if need be.

"So what's our next move?" Yang asked as she looked him over before turning to Ruby.

The reaper thought for a second, "We'll have to watch him until the professors and other teams show up. Once that happens we may be able to incapacitate him long enough to bring him to Professor Ozpin. He may be the only one that can help us with this."

"I think you're right on that." Weiss said thinking this over. "The Professor would probably know what to do and if not, he does have his abilities."

With that said and done, they looked back over to Jaune. He now had his head hanging and his eyes closed. A brief thought of him tiring himself out crossed their minds. But that was when they noticed his eyes where clamped shut and his jaw clenched in determination. That was when the ice around his right arm shattered and went everywhere.

They now saw that the Void that covered his arm had now expanded and was now an ovoid that completely covered his forearm from his elbow down. With his arm free, he quickly smashed the ovoid into his chest, shattering it and sending deep cracks stretching across his arm and down to his legs. Before any of them could bring up their weapons, his whole body tensed up and with a grunt of exertion, he managed to shatter the ice around him. With his freedom returned, he jumped backwards as far as he could.

He landed twelve feet back in a three-point landing, his right arm off to the side as the Void ovoid slowly started to shrink back to covering his arm with the spike once again. He looked down to his left and saw Jaune's remaining APS on the ground. He grinned evilly as he moved his left hand to grab it and stood tall with the Void back to how it was before he was frozen. " _ **Now, let's get serious.**_ " Was all he said as he rocketed forwards again.

He landed in front of Yang and she immediately tried to punch him. He managed to duck to the side and grabbed her outstretched arm with his Void one. He flipped her over himself, trying to slam her into the ground. But after all her close quarter combats, she managed to land on her feet. As she turned to Jaune her slammed both his feet into her chest as he let go of her arm. That sent her skidding across the ground.

As she stopped, the possessed Jaune was already in front of her, swinging his sword at her from the left. She managed to bring up her gauntlets so the blades scrapped off of them and not her. Bu that left her open for him to jam his Void spike into her stomach. The impact was enough to lift her off the ground and she released a shocked and painful gasp. He smirk and finished his swing, throwing her a dozen feet away and her aura shattered, leaving her in a heap on the ground.

Yang tried to get back up, her body barely being held up by her shaking arms and legs. The Draco just skulked up to her with that grin still on his face. When he was right beside her, he flipped his sword into a reverse grip, ready to run her through. As he raised his left arm above his head to do so, he felt his arm stop completely, like something was wrapped around it. The Draco looked at the offending limb and growled, " _ **Stay out of this.**_ "

That was when the ribbon of Blake's weapon wrapped around his stomach and with a yank, he was pulled away from Yang. As he was pulled through the air, he looked over his shoulder to see both Blake and Ruby preparing for him. He grinned again and as his feet scraped against the ground, he leapt towards them with both his weapons ready.

Both saw this and fired more of their ice rounds at him. He started to parry them with the APS and with every shot, it became more and more covered with ice. When the sword was more ice than metal, he saw Weiss running up to help assist her teammates. He pulled his arm back and threw it with all his enhanced strength. It flew past the red and black members of RWBY and directly towards the white member.

Her eyes widened and she held Myrtenaster in front of her as some sort of defense. The frozen sword smashed into her rapier, shattering the ice but still making her skid back across the ground. By some miracle or luck, the sword bounced off her's and was spinning through the air, back towards him. He jumped and caught it before coming down on the two Huntresses-in-training below him. The two saw this happen before they turned back, just in time to defend themselves. Blake blocked the Void spike, yet again, by crossing her blades. While Ruby caught the blade on the snaith of Crescent Rose.

The Draco was using all of Jaune's strength to try to break their defenses and the two women were doing everything they could to try to stop him. That was when a Glyph appeared below him. He looked over to see that Weiss had impaled her blade into the ground to create it and he could see the Glyph itself was slowly releasing mist. Realizing instantly what their plan was, he decided he wouldn't let them try the same thing twice.

He quickly pulled his arms back from his opponents. Without the resistance Ruby and Blake were fighting against, they stumbled forward. The Draco quickly grabbed the fronts of their shirts and pulled them down to the ground while he used them as a springboard to free himself from the Glyph, since the boots his vessel were wearing were already starting to freeze. Blake and Ruby were both half sprawled on the ground and were quickly freezing to it now, Weiss' Glyph was now at full power and was creating ice much quicker.

Weiss saw this happen and quickly pulled her blade free to cancel out the Glyph. However it was a little too late since Blake and Ruby were half frozen on the ground. As she did that, the possessed blonde landed behind her, grin still in place. She turned in shock but he just swung his right arm and caught her in the spine with the entire length of his spike. Spit flew from her mouth with a pained groan as her aura took a heavy hit. She flew over her teammates as they cried, "Weiss!", before she landed ten or so feet from them on her stomach.

After a few seconds, she tried to get up but felt a boot settled into the small of her back, pushing her to the ground painfully. Then a second boot kicked her weapon from her hand. The action pushing Jaune's full weight into her back causing her to cry out in pain. " _ **Now, now. Just stay there and I may make this as painless as possible.**_ "

She looked over her shoulder and saw the possessed Jaune grinning down at her before his head slowly turned to her teammates who were still frozen to the ground. He raised his Void arm and started to channel crimson energy into it. But it was taking much longer than before. He was going to be sure those two wouldn't make it by using his beam variant. Silver and amber eyes widened in fear and they started to struggle more. Weiss started to do the same, desperate to do anything to save them.

The grin just grew on Jaune's face. The Draco just savoring the slew of negative emotions coming from the trio. Although the grin slipped when his arm started to shake sporadically. It then slowly but surely started to move to his right and away from its targets. The Draco growled and used all of its will to try to bring it back. It was a literal battle of wills, Jaune's and the Draco's. " _ **Stop fighting and obey!**_ " the Draco snapped.

As the Draco was struggling to get its new body under control, Jaune's voice started to slip through his own lips, "I won't…let you…hurt them…"

In the struggle, neither entity realized someone was closing in on them until the fist impacted their shared face. Yang screamed, "Not today!" as she did. The two went flying and the beam fired on reflex. The beam smashed into the ground only five feet away from Blake before it tore up the ground behind them in an arc before the arm went into the air. The beam cut through several trees before flying harmlessly into the air.

Jaune's body landed only ten feet or so from them and his APS fell from his hand, sliding a few feet away. Yang was taking deep breaths and stood between him and her team, "Weiss, get Blake and Ruby out of that ice." Weiss quickly nodded and ran over to them as she picked up her weapon.

Jaune's body started to glow with a faint outline of dark purple before he slowly got back to his feet and Yang quickly dropped into her boxer stance again. She was out of aura but she wouldn't let this thing get to her teammates. She heard a weak but happy chuckle come from him, "Thanks for that, Yang. I really needed that."

Yang froze but stayed on guard, "Jaune, is that really you?"

He was finally back on his feet and looked at her. The markings around his eyes were still there but his eyes were the borderline black they usually were when he used Void. He gave her a small smile, "Yeah, it's me, Sun Fire." Yang smiled brightly before Jaune grew serious, "But not for long. Your punch gave me the chance to take back control but it's literally taking everything I have to hold it back right now." He said through gritted teeth.

Yang nodded, "Okay, what to you need me to do?" Their eyes met and he just stared at her with an intensity she had rarely seen. Her eyes widened as it all clicked. "No. No, Jaune, I can't."

"You have to." He told her simply. "I can't hold it much longer. This is your only chance or we'll all die."

"No." She said in finality. "We can find another way. We can make this right."

"And how would you do that? Yang we are almost out of time before that thing gets control again. We have no other options." Jaune told her with a deathly serious tone.

Yang's hands were shaking as her eyes started to tear up, "This…this isn't how this is supposed to go, Jaune. It isn't fair."

He nodded slightly, "I know. I know." He said tiredly as he started to undo his chest plate. It fell to the ground with a clatter. "It shouldn't be you. But it needs to be." His own eyes started to tear up, "Please, Yang. I don't want to hurt you, any of you."

Yang just stared at him for a few more seconds before she shakily reached over her shoulder and drew Kakiri. She felt the blade would be less painful than her shotguns. She was preparing for her swing as he gave her a sad smile, "Thank you. Don't think about it as hurting me. You're saving me."

Yang gave a weak nod before taking a deep breath to try to steady herself. She gave a cry as she charged toward shim, blade aimed at his heart. He closed his eyes and tried to relax as much as he could, waiting for the inevitable to happen. A tear slid down his face as he heard Yang's footfalls stop and he prepared for the familiar pain of being run through. But the pain never came.

He opened his eyes again to see that Yang had stopped short and the point of her blade was just an inch away from his chest. The sword and her arm were shaking. He looked up to see her whole body shaking and tears running down her cheeks, "I-I can't…I c-can't do i-it." She said in a broken tone. Jaune's eyes widened in fear before he gripped his head with a shout of pain. "Jaune!" Yang shouted as she lowered her arm and reached out for him.

That was when his left hand shot out and gripped her by her throat. She gave a choked cry and dropped her sword to try to claw at the hand crushing her throat. She was slowly lifted off her feet and when she looked into Jaune's eyes, they were the glowing red of the Draco once again. A smirk stretched across his face again, " _ **Too bad. That was your only chance.**_ " He positioned the Void spike to be ready to go through her heart.

Ruby, Blake and Weiss were just staring on in shock. They had to do something, anything. Blake and Weiss were desperately trying to figure something out to save their friend and boyfriend. Meanwhile, Ruby just stared on in horror. She was about to see her sister die. She was going to lose another person she loves and she could do nothing about it. She was shaking as tears slowly fell from her eyes. The fear of losing someone mixed with her desire to save Yang and Jaune, awoken something ancient inside of her. With an ear-piercing scream of "NO!", her silver eyes started to shine before a bright light was released from them.

The silver light engulfed Weiss and Blake before continuing to rush on. The Draco's eyes widened in shock and primal fear as the light overtook it. The light died down a few seconds later with Ruby falling to the ground unconscious. At the same time, Yang was dropped to her knees and started to cough like crazy, trying to get as much air as possible back into her lungs. Meanwhile, Jaune was gripping his head in pain while shouting at the top of his lungs, his own voice overlapping with the Draco's.

He fell to his knees and nearly doubled over, grunting and snarling. The Void slowly started to fade away as his aura started to seep back into his body. Until finally, he threw his arms to the sides and his head went back as Jaune's voice shouted and the Grimm essence started to erupt from his shoulder, the same one he was stabbed in by the Draco. The essence erupted in a steady stream before flying away a good twenty to twenty-five feet and lingering in a huge cloud.

Jaune's arms went limp as his head kept being pointed up at the sky. Yang slowly crawled over to him before gently taking his hands, "Jaune, are you okay? Please, say something."

He gently returned the pressure as his head lowered and he looked into her eyes. His back to their usual blue and just stared at her in shock, "Y-yeah. I'm back. But how?"

Before they could think further about that, they heard a familiar roar. They quickly snapped over to see that the Grimm essence reformed back into the Draco, how it looked originally, although most of the damage it received was still present. Smoke was still slowly coming off of it, showing how bad a shape it was in. " _ **I've had enough! To hell with you all!**_ " With that, it opened its maw and started to charge its deep crimson energy beam.

Jaune and Yang stared on in shock. Before Jaune's body acted on its own, quickly standing up and between the Grimm and the four women behind him. His Semblance activated and his eyes shifted to red. He pulled his hand back to his sides with his fingers curved in. Flames ignited in his palms and with a shout, he threw his arms forward and released a stream of fire towards the Creature of Darkness.

The flames slammed into its chest but the beast didn't stop charging its attack. Either it was ignoring the pain or the flames were doing nothing. This was bad, he was burning through the last of his aura quickly. He had barely an eighth of his maximum and he was running out of time.

Yang was just staring at Jaune's back as he was releasing a near hellish flame upon the Grimm but to no avail. Her fists clenched the dirt below her as she started to shake, 'This can't be it. We've just risked everything to get him back. Hell, we just got him back in our lives after so long. I can't let him die. Let us all die. I can't, I won't be the little girl that needs saving. Not again.' Yang thought to herself.

With that thought of desperation, she felt something stir inside of her. Something foreign. Time almost slowed down and she started to fixate on it. It felt like aura but it didn't feel like her own. It made her feel a sense of security and warmth which was peculiar all things considered. As she felt this unique energy stir, she also felt like there was another source of this energy nearby, just outside her senses. And in that moment, she felt the energy reach out to the other source.

Jaune was still struggling with trying to kill the Grimm with his flames. As his aura was still weakening, he felt it stir unusually. He caught this in the back of his mind and felt it slowly trying to reach out to something nearby. Something behind him. He looked over his shoulder at Yang and felt the very unnatural feeling of his aura inside her. At that moment, the aura inside him connected to the aura inside Yang and both gasped.

At that moment, Jaune felt the aura in Yang surge into him and revitalizing him just a bit. In the same token, Yang felt some of that energy leave her but something else surge into her. Not aura. But something many times more powerful.

Yang's eyes turned red without the use of her semblance and red glowing flames surrounded her right eye. And as if to mirror that, Jaune's own left eye erupted in the same glowing flames. As the energy surged through Yang, she looked down and her hands erupted into fire. Not questioning this in the slightest, Yang stood up and beside her boyfriend. Throwing her fists forwards and releasing her own stream of fire. The second stream hit the Grimm and a roar of pain erupted from its jaws, slowing down the energy beam's formation.

Jaune looked over to her in confusion and Yang looked at him in return. Their red and glowing eyes stared into each other before they nodded. They both turned back to the Grimm, pulling their hands back before thrusting them forward again with shouts from both.

The two streams fused together into one stream three times the size they were doing individually. The massive stream collided with the Draco, causing it to stop forming its attack and throw its head into the air as it roared out in unrestrained pain. It was soon consumed with fire with it now looking like a massive bonfire. As more and more fire washed over it, they saw its body start to break apart and even turn to smoke.

As most of its body was smoke now, Jaune threw his hands above his head, making the flames already on it to erupt skyward in a tower of fire. In that moment, Yang pulled her hands down and cutting off her stream of fire. Once he saw that, he started to move his hands in circular motions, turning the tower into a tornado of fire. Weiss and Blake just stared in awe at the elemental display and being reminded how powerful Jaune could be when push came to shove.

After a minute or so of this, Jaune lowered his arms and the flames slowly died down. The ground where the Draco just stood was nothing more than scorched earth and every one still conscious knew that the Draco was dead. For good this time.

Jaune and Yang both gave sighs of relief. They turned to each other with small grins. After a second of so, the flames around their respective eyes extinguished. Their eyes faded back to lilac and blue before they rolled back into the heads. They then collapsed to the ground, unconscious and spent.

Weiss and Blake looked from the blonde couple to their unconscious leader beside them. They then looked at each other and just looked at each other in shock. Weiss was the one to ask the question, "What the hell just happened?"

* * *

 **A/N- And here it is! Sorry for the long wait and the cliffhanger I left it on. I'll be the first to admit it, I can be a real asshole. I hope this makes up for it. Had this chapter planned out way back in TES and it was a pain to write. Don't ask me why though because i have no clue why. And you probably all have questions after this chapter. Don't worry, those will be answered in the next chapter.**

 **Now for those of you that don't know, I have a poll on my profile to see what story you all would want me to write next. So, feel free to head over and leave your votes. It'll be up for another couple of weeks so you still have time. With all that said I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you all in the next update!**


	16. Secrets and Mysteries Revealed

Yang blinked her eyes, becoming accustomed to her surroundings. There was a fireplace alight in front of her and the warmth was slowly spreading over her body. She had a blanket over her lap and she now realized she was sitting on the floor and a small table to her right where two mugs were. That made her realize that her back was against someone's chest and two arms were gently wrapped around her stomach, which she saw was now very bloated.

She looked over her shoulder to see it was Jaune and he was just looking at the flames with a content smile on his lips. As she looked at him, she noticed that he appeared different. Older and more mature than she remembered. He also had stubble across his cheeks and chin, probably didn't shave today. "Jaune." she said quietly.

His eyes moved from the fire to look into her own. His smile stretching just a bit bigger, "You feeling better, honey?"

The nickname was a new one to her but he said it like it was the most normal thing in the world and she felt a familiar feeling of the endearing word. She nodded, "I am. Thank you."

He just gave a quiet chuckle, "Never a problem. I know you've been stressed lately." She felt him slowly reach under her shirt and gently rub her bloated belly, "Plus, I can only guess how tired you are from our little dragon."

That news didn't shock her. Instead, she just lowered her hand to lay on top of Jaune's over her shirt. She smiled, "I am. But it won't be much longer until she'll be here."

The two just sat in that silence and basking in the love the two shared and the love that they had ready for their little bundle. Eventually, Jaune leant over and gently kissed the side of her head. He whispered into her ear, "I love you, Yang. Time to wake up though."

Yang was thoroughly confused by his words. But as she heard them, her vision slowly started to blur before it went black. The feeling of the fire and Jaune holding her slowly disappeared as well before the feelings of soft material against her back and the back of her head came to her. She then slowly started to open her closed eyes and the darkness was slowly replaced with a white ceiling.

She blinked and slowly started to look around, taking in the infirmary around her. She then sat up with a light groan and started to run a hand through her hair to scratch her head. "What happened?" she asked out loud. She noticed that her other hand was wrapped in bandages. She pulled her other hand from her hair to see the exact same thing. She clenched her fingers a few times and they were sore. She also noticed that her stomach was also wrapped in similar bandages. She couldn't help lowering her hand to it and gently rub it, her dream still lingering in her head and a feeling of absence swelled in her chest.

Around that time, the door opened to her right and there she saw Weiss and Blake. The two just stared at their now awake teammate before both shouted, "Yang!" The two ran towards her and both hugged their teammate.

Yang just blinked before she smiled and wrapped an arm around each of them. "What's wrong, girls? Not the first time I wound up in the infirmary."

Weiss and Blake pulled away, getting the heiress to scoff, "Well excuse us for being worried since the three of you were all unconscious after that fight."

"Three?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow before it all came running back to her. He head whipped to the left and saw the two other beds were both occupied. The one to her right had Ruby in it and the one closest to the other wall had Jaune. Ruby didn't look any worse for wear and looked to be just sleeping. Jaune looked to have a few minor cuts and bruises. Although she did catch a glimpse of some bandages just under his shirt, around the shoulder that was impaled.

She instantly tried to get out of bed to run to them but her body felt too weak to move. She looked at her teammates, "What happened?"

Weiss and Blake looked at one another before the Faunus started to explain, "While Jaune was still possessed by the Draco, he went to finish you off. Weiss and I were just trying to figure out what to do but that was when Ruby screamed and this bright light illuminated everything. When it died done, Ruby was unconscious and the Grimm was forced out of Jaune."

That she did remember but she didn't notice that Ruby had passed out. Then again, she was dealing with her boyfriend trying to kill her against his will. Weiss continued, "After that, the Grimm tried to finish you two, possibly all of us. Jaune stepped in and tried to stop it with his fire Semblance. It wasn't doing as much as we were hoping but then you stepped forward…"

With those words, the memories came back to her and she looked down at her bandaged hands. The pain she was feeling was making sense now. "I did the same thing. I somehow was shooting fire from my hands." She looked back at her teammates, "How?"

"We were hoping you could tell us that." Weiss stated.

Yang threw her hands up in the air, "Well, I don't know. Hell, I was completely out of aura. So I don't have a clue how I did that." She then started to cough from her throat being dry. Blake went over to the pitcher of water next to her bed and filled a glass for her partner. Yang responded with a scratchy 'thanks' as she took the glass before she drained it quickly. She sighed, "Better."

Blake placed her hand on her shoulder, "Just relax, Yang. You need to regain your strength."

Yang nodded slowly, "You might be right. I haven't felt this weak in a while." She looked back over to her sister and boyfriend before she looked back at her teammates, "So, what happened after we blacked out?"

Weiss was the one to answer, "We checked on all three of you. When we figured out you were just unconscious, we were relieved. Not too long after that, Goodwitch and JNPR showed up. They were worried but once they all knew you were fine and the Draco was dealt with, the Professor called in to tell the other two teams who rerouted to come back here. With JNPR's help, we were able to get you three on the Quicksilver and Goodwitch got Bumblebee on board, don't worry." Weiss answered the question Yang was about to ask before she could. The panicked look was a dead giveaway. "We then managed to get here relatively quickly and we were able to get you three to be checked on. You three have only been here for a little over a day."

Yang nodded, "So, what's the damage?"

"You have some burns on your hands and severe bruising on your stomach from the Void spike hitting you." Weiss answered, "Jaune has the flesh wound from the Draco's bone spike and Ruby…" she shrugged, "No one's sure. There's nothing wrong with her, per se, but she's unresponsive."

Yang sighed, "That doesn't make me feel any better." Her eyes widened slightly, "Did anyone find out about Jaune?"

Blake shook her head, "As we were nearing Beacon, I but his mask on him. His secret is safe."

Yang nodded, "And where is the rest of our merry band?"

"Cafeteria. Nora needed a pancake fix and Neo needed ice cream. Ren and Pyrrha went to make sure they didn't wreck the place." The cat Faunus said with a grin. That earned a laugh from Weiss and Yang. They then heard a light knocking come from the door. Blake was the one to answer, having a good idea on who it was, "Come in."

The door opened and in walked Olive. She gave Weiss and Blake a smile before her eyes landed on Yang and that smile widened, "Yang, you're up!" she said excitedly as she hugged her.

Yang just chuckled and hugged her back and gently ruffled her hair, "Can't keep me down."

Her yell of joy had an additional effect on the room. The four ladies heard a light groaning, "My head…" They turned and saw that Jaune now had his arm out of the blankets and his hand was gently rubbing his forehead, "Feels like a hangover."

"Jaune!" Olive shouted in joy. She then scrambled out of Yang's arms and over her bed. She then leapt off it and over Ruby's to belly flop onto her brother. That caused the air to be knocked from him with another pained groan. She wrapped her arms around her brother as she hugged him tightly.

The groaning blonde finally opened his eyes and looked down at whatever just knocked the air out of him. He saw the blonde and green hair of his younger sister and hugged her gently, "Why? Just…why?"

She looked up to him with watery eyes, "I was just so worried, Jaune. You came back unconscious and just thought the worst. I just got you back…"

Before she could continue, Jaune placed his hand on the back of her head and gently pushed her face into his own chest, "Shhh, it's alright, Liv. I may get banged up but I haven't died yet. And I don't plan on it for a while."

She was silent for a while, just enjoying the hug from her older and only brother, that was until she punched him on his uninjured shoulder, "You know I hate that nickname."

"And you know I'll always call you that. What are we to do?" he said the last part dramatically. That made her giggle a bit before she got off her brother with a relieved smile. He then finally sat completely up and looked at the other three in the room. He smiled, "What'd I miss?"

Weiss rolled her eyes at him with a small smile as Blake walked over to him. She gave him a light peck on the lips before hugging which he returned. "Don't scare us like that again. Hear me?" she said.

Jaune nodded and he gently rubbed her back, "I'll try my best, Kitten." They pulled apart and Jaune was then given a brief but strong hug from Weiss. Before he could return it, she had already let go and took few steps back. He didn't question it and looked at Yang, "How are you feeling, Sun Fire?"

She grinned and gave him a thumbs up, "Sore but still kicking, Hero." She dropped her hand, "But we need to figure out how I shot fire from my fingertips."

Jaune nodded, "Yeah, that is definitely up there but first, can one of you call Ozpin and Goodwitch here? I have important information they need to hear."

The four of them looked confused but Weiss pulled out her scroll, "I'll call Goodwitch." She looked back at him, "What about JNPR?"

Jaune nodded, "Yeah, we'd better. If we don't, I'd have to deal with an annoyed or angry Nora and Neo."

"Oh, don't worry about that." They turned to Olive, "I need to head to class anyway, I can tell them since I'll be going past there.

Jaune smiled, "Thanks, Sis."

"Anytime. I'll see you all later." She said as he went to the door. She gave them all a wave as she left.

Jaune then looked over at the side of his bed and saw that there was a pitcher of water and poured himself a glass. He drank it to soothe his dry throat before he got out of the bed. He didn't feel lightheaded and his legs weren't shaking so he took that as a good sign. He walked over to Yang's bed and gave her a gentle kiss; he was just happy she was okay. They pulled away from each other and smiled. He turned to look at the still sleeping Ruby. "What's wrong with her?" he asked.

Weiss answered, "They're not sure. There's nothing wrong with her physically but she's unresponsive."

"Hmmmm." Jaune hummed to himself. Gin had once told him of how Huntsmen could use there aura to help rouse others that were unconscious. Like an aura version of smelling salts. Although, with how out of it Ruby was, he wasn't sure how effective it would be. On top of that, he had never performed it before and didn't know if there were any risks. But if he were to ask Yang what he should do, she would tell him to go for it and he'd rather give it his best effort than just do nothing.

He crouched down besides her bed and started to channel his aura into his hands, causing them to glow white. The other three members saw him doing this but stayed quiet, they trusted him and didn't want to distract whatever he was trying to do. He gently brought his hands to either side of her head, his index and middle fingers resting on her temples. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He envisioned his aura slowly streaming from his fingers and into her head, similar to two streams of water. He did this slowly and soon, there was a faint outline of white around Ruby's head. He opened his eyes when he felt like he used enough aura, he didn't want overdo it and inadvertently hurt Ruby. He saw her eyes were twitching slightly. They then clenched a bit and a soft groan escaped her. It was like she was trying to stay asleep because it was too early in the morning. Jaune just smiled and took his hands away but said in a low voice, "Ruby, it's time to wake up."

She groaned more, "Five more minutes."

That made him smile a bit more, "Please, Rosebud. For me?"

She was quiet for a bit, "This isn't how a knight wakes the princess form her slumber."

Jaune understood what she meant. He leant forward and left a gentle kiss to her lips. It was only a second or so later when she returned it. He pulled away a few seconds later but the reaper quickly wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him back down to her lips. She eventually did let him go from the kiss but she kept her arms around his neck. Her eyes slowly opened and she smiled at him, "Morning, Jaune."

"Morning, Ruby. You plan on letting me go?" he asked.

"Nope." She said simply.

Jaune sighed and shrugged, "Fine." He had enough space between their bodies to pull the blanket off her. He slid his left arm under her back while his right went under her legs to lift her into a bridal carry. She snuggled into him as he did. Jaune then turned around to the other members of RWBY, "Girls, I have successfully awoken your leader."

Ruby's eyes went wide when she saw the teasing looks on her teammates' faces. She had no idea anyone else was in the room. She quickly buried her face into his shirt, "Why didn't you say something?" she whined.

"Maybe because you kept kissing me. I can't talk without my lips." Jaune answered with a smirk.

Ruby just groaned more before the infirmary door was flung open, there stood the new JNPR. Although two of them had a look in their eyes that he didn't like one bit. "Jaune!" Nora shouted before her and Neo ran at him and jumped onto him. They hugged him tightly but them jumping onto him caused him to lose his balance and fall backwards onto the bed. For all of a second as he fell off it so only his legs were on the bed and his upper body was now on the floor with the three clingy women.

The other five people in the room just looked at him with grins, smirks and smiles. That was when he said out loud, "Why? Why must you do this to me?" That made them all start laughing at his misfortune. Eventually Nora and Neo got off him and walked away with huge smiles. Jaune pulled his feet off the bed before he stood up and placed Ruby back onto it. He then bent backwards until his back gave a popping sound and he sighed in relief.

"Well, it's good to see you three awake." Everyone turned to the door to see Ozpin, Goodwitch and surprisingly, Qrow standing there. They walked in and shut the door behind them, "You had many of us worried but its good to know those fears were unwarranted." Ozpin continued with his usual smile. "Now, what did you want to discuss with us, Jaune?"

"Why don't a few of us sit down? It's kind of cramped." He asked. They did just that. Blake sat with Yang on her bed. Ruby, Weiss and Neo sat on the formers. While his old team sat on his, with Pyrrha giving him a kiss and hug as she passed by. As they were getting situated, Jaune turned to Qrow and spoke low, "What are you doing back so soon?"

Qrow just raised an eyebrow, "I heard you, Ruby and Yang were unconscious from a fight with the Draco. What did you think I'd do?" He took a sip from his flask, "Well, that, and there's another reason but you don't have to worry about that just yet."

Jaune nodded and looked at everyone when they were ready. He took a deep breath, "Well, to be blunt, I know have more concrete information on the Drakes and Dracos."

That earned him looks of shocks, "How'd you come across this, Jaune?" Goodwitch asked.

Jaune scratched the back of his head, "When the Draco possessed me, it took a look into my mind to try to control me more efficiently. As it did that, I got a good look into its mind. As disturbing as that sounds."

As everyone looked at him, he leant his back against the wall behind him as he crossed his arms over his chest, "The Wyvern was one of the most powerful Grimm in existence, with its death, it created a vacuum of power. I'm sure Salem had some sort of plan to use the Wyvern and with such a powerful pawn gone, she needed something to replace. That's what triggered this weird evolution with the Grimm, Salem is using her power to try to replace the Wyvern with something more powerful." He sighed, "So, I'm pretty much responsible for all of this."

He felt an hand on his shoulder and turned to Qrow, "This ain't your fault, Kid. In fact, you helped us with this. Without the Wyvern, it delayed Salem's plans, if not ruined them. You did good, don't doubt that." Jaune gave him a thankful smile in thanks.

"If the Grimm are trying to form a more powerful version of the Wyvern, why hasn't it appeared yet?" Pyrrha asked. "I mean, its been almost two years since the Wyvern."

"Only newer Grimm were effected by her magic for a while. But I guess now its starting to spread out towards the older ones, as well. That magic comes along with a 'instinctual manual' for a lack of a better term. The feelings I got from the short contact I had with it, only the superior versions of the Drakes can evolve further into Dracos. While the inferior ones can't and if they stop feeding, they'll revert into nothingness. I also got the feeling that the Dracos appearing is a relatively new thing for whatever reason, when I looked into its mind."

"Only saving grace is that the remaining Dracos need something else besides Grimm to continue their evolution, so we have some time." Jaune continued.

"What is this thing, Kid?" Qrow asked.

Jaune sighed sadly. "Aura." That shocked and disturbed them all. "Dracos need a great deal of Aura to act as a catalyst to access what should be their last evolutionary stage."

"That's why it was going after the Hunters." Yang said. "It needed their aura to keep getting stronger."

Jaune nodded, "We do have one more lucky break. When I was part of the Draco, there was like this…link between it and the other Dracos. They are able to sense each other, along with when a new one is formed or dies. And I sensed seven more out there."

"Seven?" Ozpin asked, just to be sure. Jaune nodded and he gently massaged his forehead, "This isn't great but at least we now know the numbers. But if more are created, we will have no way of knowing."

"That may not be an issue." Jaune continued, "Salem's magic is what is causing this evolution and it is starting to all congregate into the Dracos. As more of them appear, the less Drakes and Cannibalistic Grimm will appear. And on top of that, only a set number of Draco can exist. I'm pretty sure they are on that number."

Ozpin was in deep thought, "So, you're saying if we can destroy the remaining Draco, we can stop Salem's plan for a while?"

Jaune shrugged, "Possibly?" They looked at him in confusion, "This probably cost Salem a great deal of magic to do but I have no idea how much. So, I don't know if she'll be able to do this anytime soon after we did destroy them all. It's all hypothetical. But what I do know is that the magic can only exist within the Grimm, so every one of the Drakes or Dracos that is destroyed, that magic is lost. Although, that could easily mean that the magic can go back to Salem."

Ozpin nodded, "Very well, I'll contact Headmasters Ironwood, Lionheart and Theodore to inform them of this change. We should now make finding these Dracos our priority. Thank you again, Jaune. You've helped us out greatly. Anything we can do for you?"

Jaune shook his head, "Honestly, I need some time to rest. My aura is still trying to heal the damage the Draco did to my body from that Possession. I won't be combat ready for a while."

"Very well." Ozpin responded, "Go rest, Jaune. We'll start our planning and trying to pinpoint where the Dracos are. So with that-"

Before the Headmaster could finish, the door to the infirmary was practically broken in. And standing there was Taiyang Xiao Long. He looked around the room in a panic before his eyes landed on his daughters. He relaxed just a bit before he ran over and hugged the two of them close. each in one of his arms. "Thank Oum you two are okay."

The girls just smiled and hugged their father. Everyone else calmed down and smiled at the reunion. No one more than Jaune. Goodwitch quickly used her Semblance to fix the damage to the door and Jaune heard Qrow mutter, "Crap. That was the other reason."

Before Jaune could say anything, Tai had let go of his daughters and started to look around, "Now where is the Huntsman you went on that mission with, I wanna thank him personally for having your backs." Everyone tensed and his eyes landed on Jaune, causing him to freeze wide eyed.

Jaune cleared his throat nervously, "Uh, that would be me." He chuckled nervously, "It's-it's been a while, Mr. Xiao Long."

Before anyone could react, Taiyang was across the room and was holding Jaune by his throat against the wall. His eyes just boring into those of the Swordsman, "You bastard. Do you have any idea on what you put my daughters through?" he practically hissed.

Jaune's response was a choking gasp of air. Before any of the adults could get involved, they heard the sound of a blade leaving its sheathe and the sound of shattering glass. That was when Neo was standing next to Tai with her blade at his throat and a hard look in her heterochromia eyes. Many of them were afraid that Neo would take this too far.

Jaune managed to get his hands on Tai's wrist and force his hand off his throat enough to say, "Neo…no…"

She looked into her 'brother's' eyes and she slowly pulled her blade form the father's neck. That was when he was wrapped in Goodwitch's Semblance and pulled away from Jaune. Jaune landed on his feet and started to cough. Neo had a hand on his back as she looked at him in concern. Although she kept her weapon in hand, just in case. "Jaune!" the other's shouted and went over to him to be sure he was okay. Yang even had Blake help her over.

"I'm okay." He told them reassuringly before everything was blown out of proportion.

"Where were you!?" Everyone turned to Tai trying to break away from Goodwitch's Semblance. "Yang and Ruby were hurt deeply by your death but now, here you are like nothing happened? Where were you?!"

Jaune just looked at the angered father with a calm look, "As far away as I could be. To protect them."

"Protect them from what?!" Tai shouted.

"Salem." Jaune said coldly and Tai froze. "If she found out I was alive, she would've come after me or the people around me. I think you understand why I did it."

"No one asked you to stick your nose into this magical nonsense! You didn't have to _leave_ them or any of the other girls in this room you lied to me about when we first met! You chose to do that!" Tai shouted.

"I didn't choose to be a fucking Psuedo-maiden!" He shouted with an intensity that made everyone jump. "I didn't choose to have this piece of Ozpin's magic ingrained into my soul! And I sure as hell, did not choose to weaken the first person I ever loved so she could be an easier target for Salem's lapdog!" Jaune just glared at him, "You are not the only person that lost people he loved." he finally hissed out.

Tai just looked stared at him for a bit, before he stopped fighting. Goodwitch dropped her Semblance when she was sure he wouldn't try anything. He slowly looked at him before he turned around and stomped out of the room. Everyone in the room was consumed by the awkward silence and Jaune just rubbed his forehead, starting to regret losing his cool like that.

Ruby spoke up, "Do you think we should go after him?" She asked while looking at her sister.

Yang spoke up after a few seconds, shaking her head, "No, Ruby. He needs some time to cool off. We might just lose our temper next and make it worse."

While they did that, Jaune looked at Qrow, "So, if that…" he motioned to where Tai was with his hand, "Is the other reason why you came back. Why didn't you give me a hand?"

Qrow shrugged, "The Midget had it covered." Neo then punched him in the stomach and caused the Huntsman to double over. She then pouted while crossing her arms over her chest and Jaune placed his hand on her head to gently stoke her hair. That made her smile and lean into him a bit.

Jaune looked hesitantly at the sisters, "I'm sorry for that." He said weakly. Neither said anything and just hugged him. Silently telling him that it was alright, in some way. Jaune gently returned it and after a few minutes, they pulled apart.

"Professor?" Weiss spoke up and gained the Headmaster's attention. "Do you have any idea on what that bright light was that came from Ruby? Or how Yang was able to use literal fire against the Draco?"

Ozpin looked from Weiss to Goodwitch and Qrow. They nodded or shrugged respectively so he turned back to them as a whole, "I do, I would want to ask Tai for his opinion on this but since he isn't emotionally ready, I guess I have no choice. The light from Miss Rose was because of her Silver Eyes." Ozpin then proceeded to tell them all about the power the people with Silver Eyes. That stunned everyone there that didn't know about that, including Jaune. But none more so than Ruby herself.

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" Ruby asked, looking from the Headmaster and then to Qrow.

Ozpin answered, "Salem has targeted a number of Silver Eyed Warriors throughout time. If you knew how to use your powers, she would've targeted you too. I had the attentions on telling you all this after you had graduated, that way you would be more prepared for what would come. But it looks like things have changed."

There was a brief silence, "Well, I'm not exactly complaining." Jaune said and everyone looked ta him. He shrugged, "If she didn't do that, I don't know if I'd be standing here or anyone on RWBY. So thanks for saving me again, Rosebud." He sent the reaper a thankful smile with that.

Ruby gave him one in return, "Any time, Jaune."

"As for Miss Xiao Long using fire…I'm not sure." Ozpin spoke up. "Only the Maidens and Jaune should be able to do that. And I can say for certain that she is not a Maiden." He rubbed his chin slightly. "Do you have any ideas, Miss Xiao Long?"

Yang just shrugged, "Not really. Like I said before, I didn't even have my aura when I used it." She thought for a bit, "Wait, I remember feeling this strange energy inside me. I then felt a bigger source of that strange energy and it just connected to it. That's when the fire started to happen."

That stirred something in Jaune, "That's weird." They turned to him. "I felt my aura trying to reach out to Yang during that time. And it felt like my aura was inside her."

"How would that be possible?" Blake asked. " I mean, even if you transferred some of your aura to her before, it would've burnt out or been absorbed by Yang's aura."

"Not necessarily." Ozpin spoke up. "Jaune's aura has been changed drastically because of the Fall Maidens power. It could be acting similar to it and now a piece of his aura now exists inside of her, creating this link between them. Which would explain how she gained these abilities."

"One way to find out." He closed his eyes and focused on his aura. As his aura slowly stirred around him, he felt another source of his aura stir inside Yang. On instinct, he reached his aura out to that piece inside of her. They both gasped and opened their eyes, now red with Jaune's left eye and Yang's right glowing with crimson flames. "Yeah, I would say that is the case." He cut the connection and soon their eyes went back to normal.

Jaune turned back to Ozpin, "Are you telling me that Yang is a Pseudo Maiden now as well?"

"It would seem so." He said with a small smile. "And since you are the cause of it and are currently the only person around with the experience to use these abilities, you will be the one responsible with teaching her how to control her new abilities."

Jaune's eyes widened. He couldn't teach Yang to meditate. How was he supposed to teach her to use fire responsibly with her temper. 'Who is eviler between Ozpin and Salem right now?' he asked himself.

* * *

 **A/N- Here is the next one! I hope this explains a few questions you've all had. This also sets up the plot for the story. To clarify, I will be adding plot points from Volumes 5-6 of the actual series but with my own twists here and there. I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter and I hope to see you all in the next one. It's gonna be fun to do. I'll see you all in the next update!**

 **Beta Reader for this chapter was the good friend and writer Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh, go check him out if you haven't.**


	17. Fire and Passion

It had been a week or so since Jaune, Yang and Ruby had awoken after their fight with the Draco. During that time, RWBY and JNPR went to class, as was the norm, while Jaune focused on his recovery. His aura had been weakened significantly from the exposure to the Draco's toxic essence. But that was probably by design, to weaken his aura enough for it to absorb it safely. It probably wouldn't have been as bad from his short exposure to it but with him using Void at the same time, more damage had been done to his body, making him no where close to being ready to teach Yang anything about controlling her new abilities.

Luckily, Yang couldn't use them without her having his aura and he'd have to consciously give her that. So there was no chance of her losing her cool and burning down anything unintentionally. Don't get him wrong, he knew that she had taken steps to control her temper but there still were the odd instances where she would lose it. Besides she needed time to completely heal from the battle as well, better for them both to be healed before trying to dive into those lessons.

Speaking of lessons, Olive did stop by two or three times throughout that week to get a few more lessons on how to us her weapon's short sword forms more efficiently. But with Jaune still being on the mend, he would have her run through her usual stances on a practice dummy. Jaune would observe her and make notes on what was still flawed in her execution. He would then stop her and go over to adjust her arms or legs before having her try them again. After that it was just her trying to get use to those minor changes. But overall, she was coming along well. She was no swordswoman but she was becoming more accustomed to that part of her weapon.

RWBY and JNPR would also stop by often after classes to see how Jaune was and to just spend time together. Most had the same worry as Jaune that he may have somehow reverted his Semblance to being trapped with Void again. Luckily all those fears amounted to nothing. He could still easily use the other five elements like before and he could still access Void. That made him feel a bit better and also let him now have the Ultimate Element as a fallback plan. But only if there was no other choice. He didn't want to push his luck. Not again.

During his down time on that Friday, he was trying to figure out something very important. How in the hell was he going to teach Yang to control fire? He sighed as he sat down on one of the couches in his living room, the one facing away from the door. "No point in delaying it." He said to himself as he pulled out his scroll and began messaging both Ozpin and Goodwitch.

As he was doing that, he heard the distinct sound of his door being slammed open behind him and a familiar voice shouting, "Guess who's back!"

Jaune lowered his head and sighed, "Stop slamming my door, Yang. Unless you wanna pay for it when you break it." He bent his head back over the couch to see them upside-down, RWBY and JNPR in his entryway with Yang in the lead.

They were all taking off their shoes as Yang talked, "Please, I wouldn't need to pay. I could just fix it."

Jaune snorted as he looked back at his scroll, "You may be a good mechanic, Yang, but I've seen your carpentry skills. Let's just say, there is much to be desired."

"Hey! We replaced those bunkbeds nearly two years ago!" Yang argued.

"Yeah. After Weiss nearly became a literal Snow Angel." Jaune snarked back with a smirk. Her heard something flying through the air before it hit flesh but not his own. He looked over his shoulder to see that Neo was holding onto Yang's shoe, which was a foot or so from hitting his head. The girl in question was just giving Yang a look that just said, 'nice try'. Yang meanwhile was just pouting. Jaune's smirk grew, "Thank you, Neo." He said and Neo just flashed him a grin before she tossed her shoe back to its owner before she plopped down next to her brother. She then grabbed the remote to the television and started to look for something to watch.

As that was going on, Ruby went to the kitchen to grab a snack and instantly shouted, "When did you make these cookies!?"

Jaune smiled but didn't look up from his scroll, "This afternoon." He heard her cheer before the fridge opened, probably in search for some milk. That was when Weiss and Blake sat on the couch opposite of him, while Nora, Ren and Pyrrha sat on the one to his right. Pyrrha would've sat on Jaune's other side but Yang jumped over the couch to do so right before she could. Yang gave Pyrrha a victorious smirk while Pyrrha just looked at her in mild betrayal.

Not too long after that, Ruby walked in with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk before she sat down next to her teammates across from Jaune. She then dunked half a cookie into it before taking a huge bite from it. She then sighed in bliss which made Jaune grin. He was just finishing up his message to the two professors when he felt Yang poking his cheek repeatedly. She kept her finger against his cheek and he glanced over to her as she smirked, "Can I help you?"

"Whatcha doing?" she asked nonchalantly.

He gently took her hand and lowered it from his cheek, "If you're so curious, I'm just letting Ozpin and Glynda know that you will be busy tomorrow and won't be available throughout the day."

That confused everyone in the room, besides Jaune. Ruby swallowed the cookie she had been finishing, "You have plans tomorrow?"

Yang just raised her hands in surrender, "Not that I know of. I have all my Friday classes and I didn't plan on doing anything out of the ordinary afterwards."

"Well, I was letting them know that you wouldn't be going to class tomorrow since you'll be busy with me." That earned him another questioning look from Yang. Before he could answer, his phone dinged and he looked to see that Ozpin responded. He skimmed over it before he continued to speak, "And Ozpin has just approved. You just have to make up the notes from the classes you miss."

He then pocketed the device before he looked at Yang with a grin, "So, you ready to learn how to control fire tomorrow?"

Yang's eyes widened like a kid in a candy store. Her gave him a gigantic smile, "Hell yeah!"

Pyrrha of course brought up the important question, "Are you sure you are fit enough to do it now, Jaune?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. I mean, I'm not a hundred percent but I'm at like eighty or ninety. It should all be fine. It's not like I'm going to need to overexert myself, so everything should be fine."

Pyrrha nodded and Weiss crossed her arms, "How are you going to make up the work from you missed classes?"

"Well from you, Weissy. Who else would I get the notes from?" she said with a grin.

"Excuse me. You know you could ask me first instead of just assuming I would do that." The heiress replied with a raised eyebrow.

"That's what I'm doing now." Yang stated.

"First, you didn't ask. Second, I will not give you anything unless you ask like a mature adult." Weiss told her seriously.

Yang just looked at her before her eyes slowly looked over to Blake. The Faunus just shrugged her shoulder, "You heard her. I'm not getting involved." Her eyes then shifted over to her sister but she was too lost in the paradise of chocolate that was Jaune's cookies.

Yang then sighed, "Weiss." The heiress raised an eyebrow, "Can I please have your notes tomorrow?"

Weiss just stared at her a bit before a small smile came to her lips, "Of course you can. Honestly, I probably would've given them to you regardless."

"So why would you make me ask then?!" Yang said in annoyance.

Weiss shrugged, "I wanted to see if you'd do it."

Yang just stared at her, "I'm gonna get you for that, Ice Queen." Yang threatened lightly.

As Yang was about to jump over the coffee table to exact her 'revenge' on Weiss, she was quickly grabbed by her arm and pulled back onto the couch, "Not in my home. I'm not cleaning up after you." Jaune said sternly.

Yang crossed her arms and pouted, "You used to be more fun." That's when Jaune gained an evil smirk and jumped on top of her, pinning her arms above her head on the couch with his one. Yang just looked up at him in shock. He just raised his left a hand and wiggled his fingers before he started to tickle her armpit. The results were instant and the blonde brawler started to laugh like crazy. "Jaune, stop!" she tried to command him through her laughs.

Yang started to kick her legs, trying to dislodge Jaune from on top of her. Problem with that was that she nearly kicked Neo in the head. The smaller girl just fell back over the arm of the couch with a muted yelp before she could though. When she stood up, she had a mischievous look in her eyes with a smirk on her lips. She jumped on top of Yang's legs and wrapped her arms and legs around them to stop the kicking. She then proceeded to tickle her feet as well. Which caused Yang to laugh even louder.

The other occupants didn't try to help their friend, most thought it was too amusing to. And they didn't want to be the duo's next victims but that was beside the point. Eventually, Blake did speak up in defense of her partner, "Jaune, Neo, you should stop. Yang may pass out from lack of oxygen."

The two stopped to see Yang red-faced and panting like crazy. The two figured she had enough and got off her. They sat on the ground in front of the couch and leant their backs against it, giving Yang the whole couch to lay on to recuperate. Jaune held his fist to the left so Neo could bump it, "Thanks for the assist, Neo." Neo did just that and just smiled at Jaune.

They all then settled down to watch whatever Neo had put on and have light conversations. Eventually Yang gained enough strength to reach her right hand over to lay it on Jaune's head. She then gripped his hair, not tight enough to hurt him but to get his attention. "I'm gonna get you back for that, Jauney." Jaune just smirked but didn't say anything. Yang let her grip lessen on his head and she started to gently run her fingers through it, which Jaune didn't mind in the slightest.

The rest of the late afternoon to early evening was the nine of them just spending time together and just enjoying the time they had together. When it was time for them to get back, they all said their goodbyes with Jaune getting light kisses from Ruby, Pyrrha, Blake and Yang. He did get a hug from Weiss though, which was a welcome change. He then told Yang to meet him there first thing in the morning so they could begin her training. With that, Jaune decided it was probably time to make something for himself to eat before heading to bed. He just knew tomorrow was going to be eventful.

* * *

Yang yawned to herself as she slowly walked across Beacon's grounds to where Jaune was staying. It was around seven now and she didn't even get a chance to grab some coffee before she left. But Jaune did say first thing in the morning and she knew just how early he could get up in the morning. As she was walking, she couldn't help the excitement, anxiety and trepidation about what she was going to learn today. Although the last two were overshadowed by the first.

She eventually made it to the front door and quickly opened it with her scroll. She opened it and was quickly greeted with the smell of a freshly cooked breakfast. Her stomach growled instantly and she shut the door behind her and started to take off her boots, "Jaune?" she called out.

"In the kitchen. I'm just finishing up our breakfast, come get it." Jaune answered. With that, Yang nearly ran to the kitchen. She walked in to see that Jaune had two plates filled with scrambled eggs, bacon and toast along with two mugs of fresh coffee. Meanwhile, Jaune was at the sink to wash the pans and utensils that he had used to cook. He didn't turn around but spoke up, "Feel free to grab yours and go to the living room to eat. I'll be there in a minute or two.

Yang just gave Jaune a loving smile before she walked up to him and hugged him from behind. Jaune froze as she kissed him on the cheek, "You're perfect." She said simply as she held him for a bit longer. She eventually pulled away from him grab her breakfast. She didn't notice the look on his face when she called him that. A look of disappointment in himself. He shook his head to clear the mood before he finished the dishes and joining Yang to eat.

The two took their time eating and enjoying their coffee. Once they were done, Jaune took the dirtied dishes and cleaned them before they left. As he was walking back to the living room, Yang just looked over to him, waiting to see what he would say next. "Alright, let's get going. But I would suggest leaving your fingerless gloves here."

Yang looked down at them in confusion, "Why?"

Jaune was putting on his boots as he answered, "Until you gain a good amount of control, you'll just burn them. So unless you wanna keep replacing them, leave them here." Yang nodded her head before removing them and setting them down on the coffee table. She then made her way over to Jaune to put her own boots on. When she was ready, the two left with Jaune leading them to where they would be training.

It didn't take them too long to reach the same clearing in the Emerald Forest that Jaune usually trained or practiced with his elements. Jaune walked into the middle of the clearing before turning to face Yang, "So, ready to get started?"

Yang just grinned with a raised eyebrow, "Of course I am. So, where do I begin with shooting fire from my hands?"

"That is a long ways away, Yang." He informed her. She deflated just a bit. "The first step is you learning how to create fire."

"But I already did that against the Draco." She pointed out.

"Let me rephrase that: You need to learn how to create fire _calmly_. Last time you used your anger to skip those steps but you need to learn them properly before you can proceed." He explained.

Yang sighed, "But if I already know _how_ to create fire, why do I need to learn a new way of doing it?"

"Trust me. You don't want to rely on that method." He tried to dissuade her.

"Jaune, the Dracos and Drakes are still out there. I need to learn this as quickly as I can to help out. So let's just skip the baby steps." Yang argued.

Jaune brought a hand up to his forehead to massage it. He was hoping Yang's stubbornness would not make an appearance but it looked like that was too much to ask. Jaune sighed, "Fine, fine." He said annoyed as he took his hand away, "You know best, let's just jump on in."

His eyes shifted to brown before he stomped his right foot and raised his right hand up. On his right, on the edge of clearing, a massive boulder erupted from the ground. His eyes shifted back to their usual blue before he flicked his hand at it. "Go ahead. Do what you did before. Go on." He said in a very annoyed tone.

Yang was just dumbfounded by his attitude, "What?"

Jaune rolled his eyes and that just annoyed her more, "Shoot fire at the rock." His eyes shifted to red before his left gained the red flames. As that happened, Yang felt energy swell in her once again, her eyes shifted to red and her right eye gained the same flames. "Come on, hothead. Show me what you can do."

Yang had just about enough of his attitude at this point. She didn't know what his problem was but she was going to put an end to this now. She used her frustration and annoyance to help fuel the energy inside of her. She pulled her fists back and they ignited in flames. With a shout, she threw them forward and the flames shot forward in a huge stream that slammed into the boulder. She then spun around to look at Jaune, "Happy now? I did it."

Jaune just looked at her with a neutral look and in a clam voice spoke, "Yes. You did." He nodded towards where she had released her flames and Yang spun back around to look at it, still annoyed. Her annoyance quickly disappeared as she saw the trees behind the boulder were now burning from the flames surging past the rock. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was agape.

Jaune then spoke up again in the same calm voice, "What now? How would you stop something like this from spreading? And just imagine if it was in a village or Kingdom And what if you're on mission with your team? How would you stop them from being caught up in it?"

He then stepped forward and raised his right hand. He took a deep breath before he started to pull his hand towards himself. The flames started to get pulled from the wood, leaving them charred. As the flames rushed to him, he started to move his two hands in a circular motion to form the flames into a massive fireball. He then brought his hands together slowly, like her was crushing something between them. The fireball started to grow smaller until it was completely smothered.

He sighed before turning back to Yang with a small smile, "That's why you need to learn to create them calmly. Fire is the most dangerous element to lose control over and creating fire from anger makes the chances of losing control higher." He then gave her an apologetic look, "Sorry for pushing you, Sun Fire. But I needed to get that point across."

Yang just lowered her head and sighed, "No, you're right. Sorry, guess I was a little to gung-ho."

Jaune chuckled slightly, "Trust me, I know. I was just as excited when I was first learning my Semblance. I'm just trying to stop you from making my mistakes."

Yang looked up at him with a tiny smile, "Thanks."

"No problem. Now, ready to do this?" Yang gave him a resolute nod. "Okay. First, close your eyes." Yang did so instantly. "Alright, now I want you to take a few deep breathes, just to calm yourself down some." Yang did just that. She took several deep breaths before Jaune spoke up again. "Now, I want you to imagine a fire. It can be a campfire, fireplace, bonfire, it just needs to be a fire you can think of clearly."

Yang though for a few seconds and the fire that came to mind was from a fireplace but the one from the dream she had before she woke up after the Draco fight. She gained a small smile with that thought. "You have one in mind?" Jaune asked and she just nodded, "Good. Now imagine the heat rolling over you. The warmth, focus on that." She did and she actually felt warmer, whether that was mental or real was anyone's guess.

"Now, the heat gets more intense. Like you are stepping too close to the flame." At those words, the warmth around her was getting more intense. She was getting uncomfortable and it felt like she was sweating. "Raise your hand." She did so, like she was holding something in front of her. "Focus the heat into your hand, as if you're holding the flame in your hand." She focused and all that heat started to travel across her body until it focused into her palm, making it feel like it would be burned at any second.

"Take a few more deep breaths. Every time you inhale, the flame grows. With every exhale, the flame diminishes. Can you see it?" he asked. She nodded her head but did not speak as she was focused on the mental image of the fire. "Here's the important part. Fire needs fuel, heat and oxygen to form. You have the heat and the oxygen; all you need is the fuel. Your aura is the fuel. Channel some of your aura into the same palm and just imagine a spark."

Yang did just that, sending her aura into the same palm and imagining a spark. As soon as she did, she could've sworn the was a literal spark and she felt a more intense heat in her hand. Curiosity got the better of her and when she opened her eyes, she gasped. In her hand was a fireball just about the size of her palm. She then turned to Jaune with a smile full of shock and happiness. Jaune meanwhile just smiled at her, "Congratulations. You did it."

"Yeah I did!" she said excitedly. She looked down at the fire in her palm with a sense of pride. She just looked at it for a bit before she turned back to him, "Is this what you have to do every time?"

He shrugged, "Used to. I've done it so much I have it down to reflex." He raised his hand and it instantly ignited into fire. "You should be able to do the same with enough practice. And now you're going to hate me for the next part." He extinguished the fire around his hand and lowered it. "You need to put it out now."

Yang looked at him in horror, "But I just made it." She said heartbrokenly.

Guilt washed over him but he quickly got it under control, "I know. But it's important for you to get used creating and extinguishing fire. It wouldn't be smart to always rely on me to snuff them out."

Yang looked back down at her hand. She took a solemn breath before she closed her hand while cutting off her aura, extinguishing it instantly. She wasn't completely sure that would work but luckily, she was right about that. "There."

Jaune nodded, "Good. Now…create a new one."

Yang just gave him a look that said she was _not_ happy. Both now knew that they were in for a long day.

* * *

The blonde couple spent the rest of the day running through the same routine of Yang creating fire before having to snuff it out. It was Jaune's hope that she would become more accustomed to the feelings of both to help build a good foundation for the rest of her training. That didn't last all day though, he knew Yang would get bored and frustrated with that kind of training. So, he decided to mix in some more exciting training.

He started to create his own flames before he would start teaching her the basics of manipulating existing fire. It took a couple of hours of Yang staring at the flames the size of a normal campfire and failing to control them in any way. That lead to her stomping her foot in frustration and the fire erupted upwards in a tower of flame. That caused her to trip backwards and fall onto her rear as she stared in shock. It died down almost instantly but she still stared.

Jaune eventually started to laugh at her shocked look, "Well, you inadvertently learned how to amplify flames. So there's that." He continued to chuckle and Yang soon joined him in that affair. They then used the rest of the day to have her train her ability to amplify and lower the intensity of the flames more safely. She also enjoyed this way more because she could feel the progress more than she was trying to manipulate the fire.

It eventually became late afternoon and the two of them made their way back to the building he was staying at. They unlocked the door and stepped into the empty building. They both took off their boots and Yang went the extra step of taking off her orange socks. She wiggled her toes at the new freedom and sighed, "That is so much better." She then walked over and collapsed onto one of the couches.

Jaune just chuckled and walked to his room to throw his own socks he had taken off into a hamper by the doorway. Yang had convinced him to do so after her relief of doing the same. He then walked back into the room, "You did very well for a first day, Sun Fire. I'm impressed you did as well for a first attempt."

"Well, I am awesome." She said slightly tired. "But I have the benefit of having someone that knows what their doing giving me a hand. You had to learn everything from scratch." She then started to take off her jacket to get more comfortable before draping it over the back of the couch, leaving her in in just her orange crop top.

Jaune nodded, "True. Although, I'm shocked that none of our merry band came to see what we were doing after class." He pulled out his scroll and saw he had two messages he missed when he was focused on teaching Yang. They were from Ren and Nora, both saying that they took the others into Vale. They were all curious about what Yang's training would entail but Ren and Nora knew that outside distractions could be dangerous for those who were controlling fire.

Jaune smiled, "Looks like Ren and Nora took them all down to Vale. They didn't want us to have any distractions."

"Great. I didn't need to set anymore of the forest on fire." She joked before her stomach growled. She didn't look at all embarrassed but look at Jaune sheepishly, "Do you have any food?"

Jaune nodded with a smile, "I actually made a stew last night and have a lot left. I'll reheat it and we can have a late lunch. Or an early dinner I guess." He then walked through the living room to the kitchen to start heating up the pot of stew that was in his fridge.

Yang just sighed in joy as he stretched out more on the couch, "Love you."

"Love you too." He replied. He then went reheating the stew on the stove while making some biscuits in the oven. As he was waiting for that, he looked into the living room to see that Yang was resting peacefully. He just grinned, knowing he was much the same when he started learning to control his Semblance. He let her rest and within thirty minutes or so, their meal was done. He filled two bowls and grabbed some biscuits before walking in and placing them on the coffee table. He then gently shook her, "Yang, food's ready."

Her eyes slowly opened and she saw Jaune smiling at her. Her eyes then went to the coffee table and she groaned, "Why didn't you wake me up? I was going to help you."

"Because I know how tired you are. Now come on and eat." Jaune told her sincerely. The two then fell back into a silence as they ate their meal, Yang feeling spoiled since this was the second meal today that Jaune had cooked for her. They eventually finished but before he could think of it, Yang had grabbed the dishes to do them. She told him he had done enough today.

Jaune didn't argue with her and he just turned something random on the tv to fill the silence. She came back a few minutes later and was munching on another of the biscuits. She took another bit but a big chunk of the flaky biscuit fell off and onto the floor. Jaune watched her as she reached down to pick it up. That's when he noticed her right arm, his eyes grew wide and he let out a gasp without realizing it.

Yang looked at him as she stood up. She saw the shocked look on his face and was instantly concerned, "Jaune? What's wrong?" She followed his eyes to her arm and her heart stopped for a second. Since she was no longer wearing her jacket, it wasn't hidden anymore. The scar that ran around her arm just above her right elbow. The scar from where she almost lost her arm.

She looked up and saw that Jaune was slowly walking over to her, still looking at her scar. When he was right in front of her, his left hand slowly rose up to it. Yang would usually take offense to this but not with Jaune. Never Jaune. His fingertips gently touched her scar, feather light and he slowly ran his finger on it. Yang shuddered slightly at the action. He stopped almost as soon as he started before his fingertips slowly slid down her arm at the same feather light touch. He stopped when his fingers reached her hand and he gently took her hand, like he was afraid she would shatter. "I'm sorry." Was all he said.

Yang looked back up to his eyes but he was just looking at her hand, "For what?"

He finally looked up into her eyes and they just looked so broken, "For failing you."

She was just shocked by what he said but he kept going before she could say anything. "I -I told you if you ever needed me, that I would be there for you. And the time you needed me the most, I wasn't there. You and Blake were almost killed. If it wasn't for my parent's…" he stopped to sniffle.

Yang raised her left hand to cup his cheek and she gripped his hand that was holding her own, "Jaune, you were fighting Cinder. You were trying to stop everything from getting worse. You aren't to blame for that. It was my fault for rushing in and Adam for doing it. You are _not_."

He just shook his head slightly, "Maybe. But I still left. I lied to you. All of you. And now, because of that, you are at odds with your dad. You and Ruby. You told me I was perfect but I'm not. I just….I'm not worth it. I'm not worth the pain. And I don't deserve any of you."

Not able to take it anymore, Yang moved her hand to the back of his head and pulled him down into the most intense kiss she could muster. Jaune's eyes widened and he wanted to push her away. But he didn't. He wrapped his other arm around her back and kissed her back. The two kissed intensely and soon their tongues started to wrestle with each other, like all their repressed emotions for each other were finally coming to the surface. The two separated to breathe but did not let the other go.

Yang just looked into his eye with nothing but love and determination. "I love you. More than I ever could've imagined. And now, I have literal piece of you in me and that allows me to feel your aura and soul. So, I'm going to make this very, very clear to you: I am never letting you go. Do you understand?"

Jaune just looked at her. He wanted to argue this fact. That's why he tried to create this space between them. Why he wasn't trying to get Weiss back. He didn't want them to be close, he didn't want them to be hurt anymore.

But this other part of him did want them back, wanted her back. Because it was too painful to be away from them. And he just didn't want to endure it anymore. A tear slid down his cheek as he finally, finally stopped resisting. "I love you." He said honestly and earnestly.

Yang just smiled and wiped the tear from his cheek. "You can show me." She said just above a whisper. She then took his hand and pulled him to his room. Shutting the door behind them.

* * *

 **A/N- And I'm going to leave it there. Sorry but I don't want to take the chance of having TVS flagged. Although, if enough people wanna see that bit of the chapter, leave a review and if I get enough, I'll post it in a new story. The story will be Void of the Night if I do post it. If not, I'll just leave it to your imagination. With that i hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next update!**

 **Beat Reader was the amazing Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh, go check him out if you haven't already.**


	18. Mending Hearts

Jaune slowly came to consciousness the next morning. That was the most peaceful and well rested sleep he had since before the Fall of Beacon. And he knew without a doubt why that was. With a small grin, he looked down from the ceiling to the head of blonde hair that was resting on his chest.

The grin quickly shifted to a small but heartfelt smile as he gazed down at the sleeping Yang with a just as content smile on her lips. He had to actively fight the urge to run his fingers through her unbelievably soft hair. Every time he had down so previously, it would wake her up. She looked too peaceful for him to do that to her. Especially, considering how tired she was from the previous night. So he settled for leaning down slowly and left a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

It wasn't a too strange sight to those who really knew the two blondes, that was how the two usually slept together in the same bed. Yang on top of him with her arms around his neck, legs on either side of his and her using his chest as a pillow. Meanwhile, Jaune's own arms were wrapped around her waist, holding her close. The only real difference was the fact that both were devoid of all clothing. The only thing hiding the dignity was the sheet that was pulled halfway up Yang's back, hiding everything below from view.

He was still trying to come to terms with everything that happened the night before. The two had given themselves to each other, heart and body. They had trusted each other in the most intimate of ways. All of it still fresh in his mind: the tender, love filled kisses, the intimate touches, the pleasure and passion of every action either of them did. Above all else, the pure love of making love with someone he loved with all his heart.

But for now, he would just lay there in peace while holding his Sun Fire close as she slept and just basked in their combined warmth. As he was laying there, he then realized that neither of them had called Yang's team and told them she'd be staying for the night. He gave a quiet sigh as he thought to himself, 'Hopefully, they weren't too worried and just assumed she did stay over. Would hate for them to have stayed up all night.'

When thinking of that, he felt Yang shift slightly on top of him and her arms grip him a bit tighter, pulling herself closer to him. He couldn't help but feel her ample assets push even further into him from the action. He tried to not move in case she was just readjusting herself and not waking up completely. He heard a tiny hum before her eyes slowly blinked open to stare across his bare chest to the far wall. She took a deep breath before she sighed and slowly looked up to him. When lilac met blue, the content smile on her face grew just a bit. "Morning, Jaune."

He returned the smile, "Morning, Yang. Did you sleep well?"

She nodded, "Very well. You?"

Jaune just kept smiling, "The best I can remember."

With an unspoken agreement, the two came together for a kiss. Both gave a hum as they enjoyed the embrace and lip contact. They pulled apart but not for long, as soon as they took a breath, they came back together. After a few more seconds, they separated again before going in for a third kiss. Followed by a fourth, fifth and sixth, with that last one being significantly longer. Neither tried to deepen it, just enjoying the kiss for what it was.

As they finally pull away to regain their breath, both just looking at each other with eyes shining with bliss and love. Yang just smiled up at him before she laid her head on his chest again but at an angle so she could look up at him, "So, considering our lack of clothes, the smell in the room and the slight soreness I feel, I'm guessing that wasn't the best wet dream of my life." She said with a teasing smirk.

That got a chuckle out of him, "Yeah, it really happened. Still trying to believe it myself, if I'm frank."

Her smirk didn't waver, "Wow. I was _that_ amazing?"

He just grinned and his hand gently caressed her cheek. She closed her eyes and hummed in content. "Yes. Yes you were, my Sun Fire. Although, I wish you told me you were on the pill sooner. Was nervous I was going to get you pregnant."

She let out a small giggle with a mischievous smile, "Didn't think I needed to tell you. I'm blonde, not stupid." She then closed her eyes and tried to look down, "Besides, I don't think I'm ready for kids." The downtrodden tone she said that in had Jaune worried though.

"Hey." He said gently and guided her to look him in the eyes, "What's wrong?"

Yang just looked at him for a bit before sighing. It wasn't like she wanted to hide anything from Jaune of all people, "For the longest time, I wanted to be a Huntress to help my thrill seeking side. That's changed now, mostly. But because of that, I've never really given too much thought to having kids." She was quiet for a few seconds, "And, if I'm being honest, I'm kinda worried about having them?"

"Okay. That makes sense. Most people are worried but _why_ exactly are you though?" Jaune pressed.

She was quite for a while and Jaune was worried he pushed too far. That was until she spoke up quietly, "I haven't had the best motherly figures growing up, Jaune. My mom left out of nowhere. And Summer…Summer was amazing. She _is_ my mother…but she left me and Ruby." She sniffled slightly, "I don't want to abandon my child, Jaune. Whether it's my choice or not."

Jaune's heart felt like it cracked. He hated seeing any of the women he loved cry, but when Yang cried, it felt infinitely more wrong. She was like the sun, bright and full of boundless energy. To see her like this was everything Yang wasn't. He wanted to help reassure her that she would never do that but both knew that would be a lie. They both knew _very_ _well_ that many Hunters didn't come back but there was one thing he could reassure her of.

He gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb to get her attention, "Hey, in my opinion, you'll be a fantastic mother." She looked at him in shock, "Why so surprised? Yang, you helped raise Ruby since she was little and look just how amazing she turned out. You are practically a second mother to her. That's why I have no doubt you'd be an amazing mother; you have already proven that."

She just stared at him for a bit before she placed her face onto his chest and tightened her grip on his neck a bit more. He could feel a few tears land on his bare chest but before he could worry, he heard her say in a grateful voice, "Thank you. That means a lot."

He just smiled, "Any time, Sun Fire. Any time." His hand then moved to the back of her head, where his fingers slowly and carefully ran through her long blonde hair. That caused Yang to shiver at the regular movement of his hand through her curly hair. Trying to do what little he could to make Yang feel better and try to but her doubts to rest, even if it's only for a little bit.

She just hummed slightly, "You know, you're still one of the only people I let do this." He didn't say anything in return but as she peaked up at him, she saw a grateful smile on his lips. That also reminded her of something that she always wondered, "By the way, are you so gentle with my hair because you know I take so much care of it or because you like it that much?"

Jaune just tilted his head slightly as his hand stopped. "Hmmm, little bit of both really. I mean, it's gorgeous and I know how much you care for it, so I'd feel terrible if I damaged it. Or hurt you by pulling it." There was a second of silence before he continued, "Plus, you would knock my block off if I did that, so…" he added jokingly.

That earned a chuckle from her, "Nah, I wouldn't want to break you. I love you after all. Maybe just a love tap." Which was still painful by normal standards.

Jaune then resumed running his hand through her hair as she closed her eyes again and relaxed more on top of him. Eventually, Jaune decided to ask her a question of his own, "So you usually smell like lilacs, is that from your shampoo, conditioner or body wash?"

"Body wash." She answered instantly. "I use some high quality hair supplies and I've found the unscented ones work much better, at least in my opinion. Really like the smell of lilacs though."

"I'm not complaining. Was just curious was all." He hummed, "You mentioned soreness, is it bad?"

She shook her head as she kept it on his chest. "Not too bad. Makes sense after everything that happened last night."

"So, you'll be able to walk today?" He asked with a tiny smirk.

She snorted, remembering what she had said last night, "I don't know, hold on." She then stretched her legs out to work out the cramps and test to see if there was any soreness in them. But that also doubled to rest her entire body on top of Jaune since her legs were no longer supporting her. She could feel Jaune's hand stop and him freeze underneath her. She smirked at that, payback for him trying to tease her. "Nope, they feel just fine." She said innocently as she moved her legs into another relaxing position but kept her full weight on top of her lover, so he could feel her entire form much clearer.

After a few seconds of him still not moving, she opened her eyes to look up at him again. She saw he was blushing and was just staring wide eyed at her. She smirked up at him, "Aw, after everything, you can still get flustered over me? I'm flattered." She teased.

He shook his head to rid himself of his blush before he sighed, "You're still trouble." He told her as he started to play with her hair again. She just closed her eyes and relaxed again as he did this. "Is that a thing though? Having sex so much, you can't walk the next day?"

Yang just shrugged, "No idea. Not like I would know either since I don't have much actual experience."

Jaune nodded, "Guess you have a point. I don't have any more experience than you do so it's not like I know either." That caused Yang to snap her eyes open and look up at him in shock. "What?" he asked in confusion.

"What do you mean you don't have anymore experience?" she asked still shocked.

He raised an eyebrow at that, "Yang, last night was my first time."

Yang's eyes went wider and her mouth fell open, "What? But…what about Amber?"

Jaune just shook his head, "We were together for a while, yeah, but she was kinda old fashioned. She wanted to wait until she was married. I respected her decision and we didn't go too far beyond making out but I had no problem with that."

Yang just kept staring at him as she tried to take in everything he had just told her. "So… I was your first?"

Jaune just nodded and before he knew it, Yang buried her face into his chest again and she started to shake. "Yang, what's wrong?" He asked in concern as his arms wrapped around her back.

It was then that she looked back up at him, with a wide smile on her lips and her eyes filled with unshed tears. Before he could say anything further, she crashed her lips onto his own. His wide eyes stared into her half-lidded ones. Her arms unwrapped themselves from his neck and her hands held either side of his face, she closed her eyes and deepened it. Jaune decided to not question it and closed his eyes before returning the kiss in full. He pulled her closer and the two just resumed kissing each other, their tongues becoming acquainted yet again in their practiced dance.

They eventually pulled apart and looked into each other's eyes as they tried to get the air back into their lungs. "That was unexpected but great. But why though?"

She just gave a quiet giggle, "Just really happy you gave me that honor." He eyes widened just the slightest amount, like she just realized something. She then gave him a sultry smile, "And if I'm feeling that right, you wouldn't mind having that experience again."

Jaune chuckled slightly with a mild blush, "Well, it's morning. Plus I have a gorgeous women completely on top of me, that I love deeply, and she just gave me a literal breathtaking kiss. So, it's not that strange."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" she whispered to him and kissed him again. Jaune's hands moved from her back at that time, one to the side and rested against her ribs, the side of his index finger barely grazing her breast, and the other slowly moved down her back, stopping right above her rear. As he was doing that, he felt Yang move one of her hands from his face, down his neck and chest, going lower and lower.

That was when his bedroom door was thrown open and a familiar voice to the two, since it was the voice of one's sister and another of the other's loves, speak very loudly, "Good morning, Jaun-ahhh!"

The two pulled apart with a pop and Yang held the sheet to her chest before she turned around to look at Ruby standing in the doorway. Who both could now see she was staring wide eyed, open mouthed and with the mother of all blushes on her face, "Ruby, ever heard of knocking?!" her sister nearly yelled at.

That made Ruby come back to reality, "Y-yang were y-you and J-jaune just…" she stuttered out.

"Yes, we were but you kinda ruined the mood. Now, can you shut the door so we can get changed." She responded in an annoyed tone. That seemed to be all it took for her to slam the door shut. Yang then gave an annoyed huff before she turned back to look at Jaune, who looked like he was trying not to chuckle. Soon the two devolved into laughter. It took a while before they finally calmed down.

"Well, that was a thing." Jaune spoke up when they were done. "Well, I think the two of us should get cleaned up and get out there. If Ruby is here, the others are either not far behind or already out there."

Yang just stared at him and sighed, "True. I call dibs on first shower!" she quickly scrambled out of the bed and towards his bathroom.

Jaune quickly realized what she was doing, "Yang, come on, you take for…"

He stopped talking as he saw that Yang was now standing in the doorway and giving him a look over her shoulder while still completely naked, "You could easily join me. It is _your_ bathroom after all. And I'm yours as well." She gave him a wink as she sashayed into the bathroom with a very noticeable swing to her hips. It took Jaune less than a second to clear the distance from the bed to the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

* * *

A while later, clearly longer than a normal shower would take, Jaune and Yang exited the bathroom wearing only towels. Both had smiles on their faces and felt better after cleaning the sweat and dirt from the day and night before. Jaune started to walk over to his closet to grab his usual outfit he wore but he noticed Yang was standing near his bed, "Well, I didn't think that through."

"What?" Jaune asked.

She turned to him and started to scratch the back of her neck, "I have no clothes to change into."

He looked down to see his and her clothes thrown around the room and felt like a moron for not realizing that sooner. He pointed his finger back to the bathroom, "You can use the washer and dryer. Then you can wear your clothes again when they're done."

With that he started to get changed. After everything they did last night, it didn't bother him in the slightest to change in front of Yang. She had seen it all last night, after all. He also saw her stare at him for a bit before she continued their conversation, "Okay but what until then? As much as I pull off the towel look, I don't want to sit in one for that long."

Jaune just finished pulling his long-sleeve shirt over his head, "You can borrow some of mine until they're done. They may be a bit big but they're better than nothing. The lack of underwear is a problem though."

Yang thought about it before she shrugged, "That works. I can deal with going commando for a while and it's good to let the 'girls' breathe." She ended with a smirk as she cupped her assets with a wink.

Jaune just rolled his eyes goodheartedly, "Alright, then I'll deal with Ruby and get out of your hair." He started to walk by her but her hand gently grabbed his and he stopped. He turned back to her and she gave him a light kiss. "I love you." She said simply.

He just smiled and gently placed his forehead against her's, "I love you too." They stayed like that for a few more seconds before Jaune pulled away. He then walked out of his bedroom, closing the door behind him, to see something he wasn't completely expecting to see: Ruby was sitting on one of the couches and was just staring at the coffee table in front of her blankly. Weiss and Blake were on either side of their leader, trying to get through to her but the younger woman was unresponsive to what they were saying. He decided to make himself known to them. "Morning, Weiss, Blake, Ruby."

The three looked up at him but Ruby quickly blushed and looked down while pulling her hood up to hide her face further. The heiress and Faunus looked at her in growing confusion before looking back at him with matching raised eyebrows. Before he could say anything or possibly explain, the front door was thrown open with a familiar ginger shouting, "JNPR is in the house!" Her other three teammates were standing behind her with smiles at their teammate's usual antics.

Jaune snorted, "Quite literally."

"Jaune!" Nora shouted before she kicked off her shoes and proceeded to clear the distance between them to give him a bear hug. Jaune just smiled and wrapped one arm around her to return the embrace and to help support her weight.

Eventually, the other three members of JNPR walked into his home. So when Ren was close enough, he easily plucked Nora off of himself. She gave him a pout until he handed her to Ren, who hugged her from behind. The pout morphed instantly into a mega-watt grin. "Well, I was about to make coffee, any of you want any?" Most of their hands went up, "Okay, anyone want breakfast?"

They all just gave him a look but Pyrrha was the one to speak up, "Jaune, it's ten. We all ate already."

Jaune raised an eyebrow before he checked his scroll, "Damn, overslept." He said surprised.

"Well, I could imagine that training Yang to manipulate fire was both a physically and mentally exhausting endeavor, so that would make sense." Weiss said with a small smile on her lips. Although, her words had the unintended effect of making Ruby squeak slightly. Jaune was so happy Yang was still preoccupied and wasn't fanning the flames.

He scratched the back of his head, "That's one way to describe it. Also, sorry for not telling you three that Yang was staying over. After…everything, we were exhausted and just crashed. I only realized this morning."

Blake shrugged, "No big deal, Jaune. We all knew she was here and when curfew came around and she didn't come back to the dorm, we knew exactly where she was." She gave him a joking smile, "Good to know she didn't keep you up all night." That got another squeak out of Ruby. Blake looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"By the way, Jaune." Pyrrha started, "Where is Yang? Is she still sleeping?"

He was about to answer when the door behind him opened. Out stepped Yang: bare foot, wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a black t-shirt too big for her that it was almost hanging off her shoulder and she resorted to tying the bottom of it into a knot. No one missed the still damp hair and the radiant look she had in her eyes. She smiled at everyone, "I'm right here."

Ruby looked up at that and her eyes went so wide, they were surprised they didn't pop out of her head. And the blush she had was so deep, it was a miracle the poor girl didn't pass out. Her reaction and the way Yang was dressed was all they needed to know. They all had a good idea just what the two blondes had done and turned to the pair with their own variety of shocked expressions.

Yang instantly got a Cheshire grin and wrapped her arm around one of his arms, pushing it tightly against her breasts. "To answer your question, Weiss, what we did was _very_ exhausting. But mostly physical." With that the Heiress blushed just as deep as her partner and her speech devolved into stutters. Yang then looked to her own partner, "And, Blake, I didn't keep him up _all_ night. Just most of it." That made the Faunus have a slight nosebleed and blush a bit. "Plus, it was absolutely amazing." She then gave Jaune a lingering kiss on his cheek.

Jaune just sighed and looked at his blonde lover, "Really?"

"You two had sex!?" shouted three women in sync. The two looked to see Weiss, Blake and Pyrrha on their feet with shock and envy all over their faces. Meanwhile, Ruby was still frozen, Ren and Nora were still gaping at them and Neo was giving Jaune a thumbs up with her usual mischievous smirk.

Jaune sighed, "Yes, yes we did. Now let's all clam down and I'll make some coffee." He then turned back to Yang, "Please, behave."

She smirked at him, "I'll try."

With that, Jaune went into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee and two mugs of hot cocoa for Nora and Ruby. It took a few minutes but eventually, he walked back into the living room with nine mugs on a tray. Everyone either stared at him or Yang as he handed out the mugs with Yang being the last. She gave him a smile and peck on the lips as thanks before she gently pulled him down to sit next to her. He didn't fight against her and she snuggled up to him while drinking her coffee.

Jaune took a sip from his own mug and when he put his mug down, saw the very clearly jealous looks on Blake and Pyrrha's faces. Ruby was still recuperating as she nursed her cocoa and Weiss looked like she was trying to pretend that the two blondes just didn't exist at the current moment. Ren and Nora seemed to have gotten over it and were just enjoying their beverages. And Neo was still giving him that smirk of her's in between taking sips of her coffee.

They all sat in a silence for a while and Jaune wasn't going to be the one to break it. There was a conversation there that Jaune did not want to have. Not that he was ashamed of what he and Yang had done, more like he didn't want to go into detail about such an intimate affair. Eventually, it was Weiss who broke the silence as she cleared her throat. Jaune turned to her and she tried to have her professional mask on but Jaune could see the cracks in it easily, "Did you two actually get any training in or did you two just used that time to _indulge_ yourselves?" There was a bit of an envious bite to her tone at the end that Jaune picked up on.

Yang was the one to respond. She opened her eyes and gave her a smirk, "We actually did both." She then looked up at her lover, "Jaune?" He knew what she was asking and just nodded, he closed his eyes for a second to tap into his fire Semblance before reaching his aura out to connect with Yang. Once it was established, his eyes shifted to red with the left gaining the red flames and Yang's turned the same color an dher right did the very same. She raised her left hand before closing her eyes to focus. She took a deep breath and a second later there was a flame floating in her open palm.

It was a shock for all of them to see Yang do that almost casually. They were used to Jaune doing it but that was it. "I'll take it you're impressed." Yang said with a proud smile on her lips.

Ruby nodded quickly, seemingly coming out of her blush induced coma, "That is so cool! Still can't believe you can do that."

Yang just smiled more and Jaune chuckled, "She's gotten a good grasp on creating and extinguishing fire. She is also starting to work on amplifying or reducing the intensity of them, as well. Once she has a better understanding of that and it starts to become more natural, it shouldn't take her long to use fire easily." After his words, Yang closed her fist to extinguish the fire and the two blondes eyes reverted back to their usual colors.

"And since you brought it up, Weiss. There was a good reason why me and Jaune did the deed." That caused Ruby to blush again. She ignored her blushing sister to then look at Jaune with a serious expression on her face as she let him go. "Jaune, is there something you want to share with them?"

Jaune just looked at her for a bit before he sighed and nodded. He placed his coffee on the table and looked at Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Pyrrha, "I want to apologize to you four." That made them all confused. "Ever since you helped to free me of Void, I've been more…receptive to your feelings towards me, again. But I've been less than willing to return them and that isn't fair to any of you."

He took a deep breath before continuing, "My disappointment in myself and the feeling of betraying you has been holding me back for a while. But yesterday, Yang all but said I was being a moron. She is willing to be with me despite everything and I want to return her feelings again. To love her and all you again. So, if you all can forgive me for being a dense sad sack… I'd be willing to try to be the person you deserve to-oomph!"

Jaune was cut off when Ruby used her Semblance to clear the table and land hard in his lap. That was when she wrapped her arms and legs around him and kissed him with everything she had. Jaune's wide eyes closed and he held the reaper close as he returned the kiss. They pulled apart and Ruby gave him a beaming smile, "I forgive you for being a dummy, Jaune. As long as you keep giving me love, kisses and cookies."

Jaune chuckled and nodded his head. He felt a hand on his right shoulder and turned to see Blake's amber eyes staring into his with love and understanding. "I forgave you long ago, Jaune." she said simply. That was when she leant in and gave him her own kiss.

As they pulled apart, he felt Yang get up from his left and a new weight settle into her place. He looked at his left and his lips were instantly taken by his old partner. She pulled away after several second and looked at him with a radiant smile, "Jaune, you're still the first and only man I've ever loved. I'm here for you with open arms."

Jaune smiled at her and nodded, "Thank you." He said gratefully. With that Pyrrha gave him a side hug and Jaune wrapped his left arm around her to pull her close with her resting her head on his shoulder. Ruby just sat in his lap and held him tightly as her head was tucked into the crook of his neck. She smiled as she felt his other arm settled around her lower back. Blake settled down onto the arm of the couch and put her arm around Jaune's shoulders and laid her head on top of his. Her other hand then went to lay on top of his own that was holding Ruby. Jaune just sat there and basked in the warmth, letting himself open his heart completely to the women he loved most. And enjoying the feeling with every passing second.

Behind them was Yang with her arms crossed and a happy smile on her lips. Glad to see not only Jaune being happy but her closest friends and sister. She looked over at Weiss, who was still sat on the couch and was staring at the other four. Yang noticed her hands were holding the mug so tightly, she wouldn't be surprised if she broke it on accident.

Weiss must have felt her teammate's eyes on her because she looked up to meet Yang's gaze. The brawler just raised an eyebrow, just asking her the question. They looked at each other for a while before Weiss bit her lip as she looked down. Yang exhaled through her nose in a quiet sigh. She knew it wouldn't be that simple but there was nothing she could do about it. But the only ones that could try to fix this would be Jaune and Weiss themselves. The brawler just hoped they would sort this out sooner than later.


	19. The Last Challenge

A few weeks had past since Jaune had finally buried the hatchet and got back together with his previous girlfriends, not counting Weiss for reasons he completely understood. It was now a normal sight for teams RWBY and JNPR to head down to, what was known to most of the school now as, Rien's place after classes. Which did bring up many questions to the student body and the professors that were not aware of it being Jaune under the mask.

He had to make up an excuse for that when he was asked to give another lecture about the information he had learned from his battle with the last Draco. He originally didn't want to do it, mostly out of not having too much information, but he did it, nonetheless. Which was when some of the students started to ask him about why the two teams kept going to his place. He easily lied by saying that Ozpin had asked them to help him out when it came to the possible extermination of Drakes and Dracos. Which the eight easily agreed since he wasn't technically lying. Who else was Ozpin going to send to help him out on those missions with them now knowing how involved Salem was with them?

The lecture went with him showing them a holographic image of the Draco he fought and pointing out the two energy based attacks it had used along with revealing that the only weak point that the Draco had carried on from its Drake state was the area at the base of the skull, considering how the beast was gloating at them for not going for. He also revealed that it had a unique ability to possess people but made it clear he didn't know if that was just a power of this specific creature or not. He did also make a comment saying that the Dracos may not look identical like most archetypes of Grimm do. He said that as he compared that image with the one he had first seen but never fought while in the badlands.

In his opinion, this lecture was much less informative than the first since he had little confirmed information besides that the Dracos are hunting for aura. Although he knew it was just Ozpin helping divert any questions on why a fully-fledged Huntsman was still hanging around Beacon after returning from the badlands.

Away from prying eyes though, the two teams had turned Jaune's temporary abode into their new hangout location. They used the time to just enjoy their company and have a quieter place to do their homework. Honestly, all the time just hanging out made them feel like they were back to before the Fall ever happened and all nine of them couldn't be happier with that. Although as soon as they got there, his four girlfriends would have a made dash to see who would have the right to have the seat next to him. Jaune quickly decided to not be in the living room when the teams would show up to lessen the amount of possible damage.

During that time Jaune would start to catch up more and more with them all. Along with getting closer to his girlfriends once again. Having them back in his life like they were before his 'death', just made it clearer just how much his life was lacking without them. Holding them close and just knowing they were there brought more joy to him than anything else.

Since they were all back together for the most part, Jaune started to take his girlfriends out on dates. They weren't too extravagant, but they were all excited for them. The only problem for them was trying to sneak out of Beacon since seeing Rien leaving with one of the girls and coming back close to curfew would just bring up a lot of assumptions. Not to say anything was wrong with that but they didn't want to deal with people sticking their noses in their business, especially with Jaune still trying to hide his identity. But they managed to make it work and they were all happy with it. With enough practice, they could have it down to an exact science.

Jaune and Yang also kept their training going throughout that time. On her days of light classes, she would come down and Jaune would help her further her Pseudo-Maiden abilities. She still couldn't manipulate fire per se but she was getting a better grasp on creating, extinguishing and controlling the intensity of her flames. It took her a second or two to ignite or smother her flames but she no longer had to concentrate as hard to do so. She was improving so quickly that it was astonishing to the swordsman. He honestly believed she could learn to control fire in a month or two; not at the same level as himself but he had most of his life to train in controlling the elements. Regardless, she would be a force to reckon with.

On those days, Yang would usually stay at his place for the night. She would still become mentally and physically exhausted after her training but hopefully that would only be a temporary condition. So it was just easier for her to stay than to make the trek back to Beacon. And neither of them were really complaining about that. But that just make the others just think it was giving the two an excuse to sleep with each other. Which they were half right. They did sleep in the same bed but over the weeks, they only had sex once or twice since their first time. Both were willing to indulge but neither wanted their relationship to become reliant on the physical side.

Yang wasn't the only one training, however. Jaune would work on his elemental control practically any day he wasn't checking in on the Grimm in the Emerald Forest and Forever Fall. But those days were becoming less and less. Since they killed a Drake not too long ago in the forest, the amount of cannibalistic Grimm had been decreasing exponentially. So Jaune was using more and more of his time to reestablishing his control over his Semblance.

Mostly learning how to swap between his elements more efficiently and trying to use two elements simultaneously. The former was coming along much better than the latter. He could swap elements much more quickly now that he didn't have to purge his aura of the energy before swapping to another. It was harder for him to use two different elements because it was difficult for him to tap into two of the 'pools' of energy inside himself without overriding one. Although with a bit more time and meditation, he could achieve this once again. Honestly, things were looking up for the once Elemental Swordsman.

* * *

It was partially through the week and the other eight members of his little group were currently in class considering it was the middle of the day. This was the perfect time for him to go down to Vale to pick up a few things he needed, mostly food. He quickly ran through his supplies since he was now catering to nine people for dinner most nights.

He was making his way to the airfield to get a bullhead down to Vale. He was in his full Rien outfit, not counting the armor though, with his hood up and mask on. It wasn't completely necessary since mostly everyone in the school was probably in class or out keeping themselves busy. Because of that, he probably could've gotten away with changing his hair and eye color using Void but he didn't want to risk it. He didn't want to damage himself more than necessary, especially if there was no need for it.

As he was nearing the airfield, he started to hear voices coming from them. Almost nearly shouting and he could easily recognized on of them as Weiss', "I thought there was important reason you pulled me out of class, no this. I made it perfectly clear that I was not going back."

The second and unknown voice soon responded, "And I believe I made it clear that I am done letting you run around doing what you like in an act of rebellion."

"Rebellion?" Weiss practically hissed and Jaune quickly started to make his way towards their voices, "I'm doing what I feel is right. I'm training to help the people of Remnant as a whole. Not just trying to help people who will just line my pocket."

"Don't take that tone of voice with me, young lady!" The voice said as Jaune finally got close enough to see what was going on. He saw a very fancy and obviously expensive airship sitting in the airfield. It was a usual Atlas make and the two Atlas soldiers standing on either side of the door to it also added to that fact. Ten feet or so from the ship was a man wearing a pure white double-breasted jacket with a red handkerchief in the breast pocket, underneath was a blue shirt and vest with a grey-white tie and dress shoes. He also had gray-white hair and a large gray mustache, a pale complexion and his eyes were a cold blue color. Jaune had a good idea on who this was and he just knew this wasn't going to go well. "You weren't saying that when you were happily using that Lien anyway you wanted."

Weiss had an even glare at the man as she stood across from him in her Beacon uniform, "Mostly because I didn't have a choice in the matter. But I haven't gotten a cent from you since my first year and I don't need it, _Father_." That last word had so much venom in it.

Jacques Schnee had a snarl on his face, "You think you can just _do_ whatever you want? You have a name and a reputation to hold up."

"Are you really talking to me about reputation?" Weiss angrily asked her father. "The SDC used to stand for something. It used to be respected and honored. But _you_ sold its soul just so you could gain more money for your selfish reasons. You've made it into a company people fear and hate. And I'm not just talking about the Faunus. So, I'm going to redeem that name my own way, by being a Huntress." She looked her father in the eyes as she uttered her last sentence, "You have no right to decide how a name you married into should be seen or remembered."

Jaune smiled under his mask at that. Glad to see her standing up to her bastard of a father. That smile fell and his eyes under his mask widened at what he saw next. Jacques just slapped her across the face and his world turned red.

Weiss whipped her head back to her father in shock before she held her red cheek and glared at him, "You bastard!"

His scowl did not move as he pulled his arm back for another smack. Weiss' whole body tensed but she didn't have to worry. Jacques' arm was quickly and painfully pulled backwards and was pinned to his own back. The man screamed in pain and quickly looked behind himself to see the glowing green eyes of the mask of Rien. And in a distorted voice that did not hide the anger behind it, he said, " **Try that again and the arm comes** _ **off**_ **.** "

Jacques quickly grit his teeth to the pain, "How dare you! Do you have any idea who I am?!"

" **Yes.** " Jaune spoke up easily. " **And it's because you're Weiss' father, even if only by name, that I didn't kill you for what you did."** With that said, he pulled his arm a bit more and making the 'patriarch' scream again, " **Although, breaking your arm is still a very real possibility, Gelé.** "

Jacques looked at him with a fury he had rarely seen before looking past him to the soldiers that were watching, stunned, beside the ship, "You idiots, help me!" They quickly shook themselves of their shock and aimed their guns at him. Jaune simply tapped into his earth Semblance and stomped on the ground, creating a curved wall of stone to erupt three feet behind him. That stunned the soldiers again. Jacques looked stunned before he tried to get control of the situation, "If you do not release me, I will make sure you are expelled from this academy."

Jaune just looked at him for a bit as the 'Schnee' smirked in victory. That was until Jaune started to laugh, " **Maybe that threat would work in Atlas but you don't have as much pull in Vale. Besides, I can't be expelled since I'm a Huntsman. And before you think about complaining to the Vale Council, I work directly for Ozpin and they can't order me to do anything. Plus, I'm the leading expert on a new species of Grimm and I have been supplying all information to the Kingdoms to better prepare. Do you really think they'd want to alienate me?** " Jaune wished the man could see the smug smirk under his mask.

" **Now, here is what's going to happen.** " Jaune spoke with deathly serious tone. " **You are going to get back on your overpriced airship and head back home. You are going to leave your daughter alone and not speak to her unless she starts a conversation. Otherwise, I'll show you just how powerless you really are, Gelé.** " As an added touch, Jaune tapped into his fire Semblance and was making the air temperature increase until the man he was holding started to sweat.

Jacques just stared into the lens of the mask as the heat around him kept increasing. He then reluctantly nodded. Jaune cut off the heat before he lowered the stone wall, revealing the two soldiers again. He shoved the businessman towards them with him nearly falling to the ground. Although he managed to catch himself before he could find himself sprawled in the dirt. With him momentarily distracted, Jaune made sure he was partially between him and Weiss. Gelé turned back and angrily looked at the Huntsman as he started to fix his tie. "You'll regret that." He tried to threaten but that just got Jaune to flip him the bird.

Jacques looked past him to his daughter, "As for you, if you think running off like your sister will make the Schnee name stronger, you're wrong." He then gained a small cruel grin, "I am revoking you as the Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company and will now name Whitley the Heir. Until a time where you _prove_ , you are worthy of that title again."

Weiss just looked in shock as a gasp slipped form her lips. " **I don't think you'll be doing that.** " Jaune chimed in.

Jacques turned back to him, "And why would I do that?"

Jaune pulled out his scroll, " **My mask records everything I see. Including this.** " He showed him the screen and the video of Jacques smacking his daughter. Jacques froze. " **I can easily send this to some news stations, imagine the stories they could tell. Or I could upload it directly to the CCT and let everyone see it easily. I can see it now: Jacques Schnee abusing his daughter because he does not agree with her honorable goal of protecting the world as a Huntress. Tell me, exactly how much backlash this will this have on the company? How much money you'll lose out on?** "

"Are you threatening me?" Jacques hissed.

" **No. I'm telling you. You take the position of Heiress from Weiss and this goes up. Or maybe I'll just do it now and save myself a headache.** " His thumb neared the send button to further push his point forward.

"You have no right to stand between me and my daughter!" he shouted.

" **Please, you're no father. You have no right to that title.** " Jaune told him. " **As far as I'm concerned, you are a failure of a father and husband. Along with a piece of human garbage in a suit.** "

Jacques just stood there and snarled at Jaune as his hands clenched at his side. "This isn't over." His eyes then went to Weiss. "This may have bought you time, but you will return to Atlas and behave."

" **Okay, enough.** " Jaune closed the space between him and Jacques. He placed his hand on his chest, " **Goodbye.** " He said cheerfully. He then used his wind Semblance to blast him backwards and towards his ship. Jacques released the shrillest scream he could as he flew and disappeared into the ship with a crash. The soldiers and Weiss were just stunned as Jaune just chuckled under his mask.

The two then turned to Jaune, not exactly sure on what to do now. Considering they hadn't tried to stop him all that much, he had assumed there was little love lost between them and Jacques. " **Do you two really wanna do this or would you rather just take the blowhard and go home?** "

They looked at each other before the one on the Jaune's right spoke, "We may get into some trouble for not stepping in."

Jaune nodded before holding up his scroll, **"I also recorded him flying through the air. How about I send it to you? Let you do what you please with it.** "

They looked at each other again before the one on the left this time spoke up with a smirk, "That seems like a fair trade."

With that, Jaune quickly sent a copy of the video to each of their scrolls. With a thanks, they got onto the airship and shortly after that, it took off back towards Atlas. He turned back around to Weiss who still looked stunned with a myriad of other emotions filtering through her eyes. Jaune walked over to her and condensed his mask down to being sunglasses. He took them off to look her in the eyes. "Are you okay, Weiss?"

She just looked up at him until she nodded, "Yeah. I'm okay."

Jaune just frowned slightly as he put his arm around her shoulders. "Come on. I'll make you some coffee at my place and you can relax." She just nodded before looking down. He took that as a go ahead and he gently started to lead her away from the airfield. She didn't say much at all as Jaune just walked her back to his place. He didn't feel like he should break the silence, he knew she probably had a lot to process. Instead, he took out his scroll and sent a message to Ozpin. It was just to let him know that Weiss may miss her next class because of the confrontation she just had with her father. Ozpin quickly sent a reply telling him that she should take as much time as she needed.

By that point, they were in front of his place. He quickly opened it with his scroll before he ushered her in. She walked in and sat down on the middle couch like she was on autopilot. He just shut the door and took off his cloak to hang up. He watched her for a couple of seconds before he quietly made his way to the kitchen to prepare the coffee he had promised her. When it was done, he walked into the living room with the two mugs. Weiss was still sitting in the same position he left her in.

He held the mug close to her face and that made her snap back to reality. She looked at it before turning up to look at him. He just gave her a small smile and she gave him a tinier one in return. She took the mug and gave a quiet 'thank you'. He gave a little nod before he sat down on one the couch to her left. They sat in a silence as she slowly drank her coffee.

Jaune took out his scroll and started to go through it as she sat quietly. He knew she'd talk to him when she was ready and until then, he'd wait patiently. And if she didn't want to talk, he'd just be there for her. That way she wouldn't be alone. On that note, he made sure to save the video of Jacques hitting her. He wasn't lying when he said he would upload it if he tried anything to Weiss again. Could be a way to get the bastard out of the controlling position of the SDC but he wasn't completely sure that Weiss was ready for that responsibility yet. And she would try to take on all that responsibility whether she was or not. He knew that much.

"Thank you, Jaune." Weiss spoke up quietly. He looked up from his scroll and saw she was now staring into her coffee. "For the coffee and the assistance. I really needed help there."

Jaune knew she could've easily dealt with him. But he also knew that no child ever wanted to fight their parent, no matter how much they hated them. He just gave a nod, "Don't mention it, Weiss." She gave him another smile and both fell into a silence again. There was a question burning in the back of his mind but he wasn't sure if he should ask it or not. Before he could come to a decision, his mouth made it for him, "Weiss…has he ever… hit you before?"

Weiss froze, her mug halfway to her lips. She sighed before she placed it on the coffee table and placed her hands in her lap. "No. That was the first time." She looked down at her own hands, "I've known for a while that he only married my mother just for her family name. He admitted it when I was ten, on my birthday no less. I think I knew before that but hearing it… there was no chance of denying it then. But, I guess a part of me just wanted to believe that he cared for Winter, myself and Whitley despite not caring about my mother. As stupid as that is."

She gave a sniffle and continued to look down. She was shocked when Jaune reached over and his gloved hand took her left one. She looked up as he was now leant over to do so. He had this look of understanding in his eyes, "That's not stupid, not in the slightest." He sighed, "Your parents are supposed to love you, that is _not_ supposed to be an option. I'm just sorry that someone like that had to be your father and hurt you so much." He gave her a small smile, "He did do two good things as far as I know."

She tilted her head slightly, "And what would those be?"

"Well because of him, you and Winter are in the world, right? I would consider you two to be the greatest things he has ever done." He looked to the side and scratched his cheek, "Would say the same for your bother but I don't really know him enough to make an opinion."

He quickly looked back when he heard her sniffle again. What he saw broke his heart. There she was, the tears she was barely holding back before were now rolling down her cheeks. She quickly used her right hand to try to wipe them away but more just kept coming. Jaune couldn't help but panic a bit, "Oh man. I'm sorry, Weiss, I didn't mean to make you cry."

A sad sound escaped her as she shook her head, like she was trying to say something but just couldn't. She then stood up and walked from the couch to Jaune, where she quickly sat in his lap and wrapped her arms around him as she continued to cry into his shoulder. Jaune's hands were to the side when she did that, just completely blindsided by it. He soon wrapped his arms around her to hold her and try to make her feel better.

Through her sobs, she started to speak to him, "E-even after all this time…you still c-care for me…so much…" She sniffled, "W-when we found out you were a-alive, I…I felt so hurt and I just w-wanted to h-hurt you the s-same way you hurt me. But…but even after all that…you came to help me…why?"

Jaune just started to rub her back, "I was never angry with you. You had every right to be mad at me. To hate me even. That is why I never tried to make you forgive me. Why I never tried to be with you again. I broke your trust, something you don't give out easily. Along with that rust, I broke your heart." He took a deep breath and continued, "But I told you before: Even if you don't love me, I'll always be here for you."

Weiss kept crying for a few more seconds or so, until she pulled back from him. Before he could say anything else, she planted her lips onto his. His eyes widened, blindsided again. She pulled back before coming forward again to kiss him again and longer. She pulled back again after a few more seconds for a breath before she kissed him again. Jaune the entire time was just staring wide eyed at her.

She pulled away again and started to pant as she looked into his eyes again. Tears were still rolling down her cheeks but less than before. He eyes now held a happier light in them. Once she regained enough air, she started to speak, "I should've given those to you a long time ago."

Jaune blinked a couple of times before he swallowed, "Weiss?"

She shook her head slightly, "I was angry at you. And hurt. But I _never_ stopped loving you, Jaune." She said with full conviction. "When I found out exactly why you did what you did, that anger and pain went away. Not instantly but eventually. The reason why I didn't try to be with you again wasn't because of that." She shook her head slightly again, "Maybe they were a small part of it. But it was because of my pride."

Jaune's hands gently cupped her cheeks and started to wipe away her tears. She placed her hands over his and gently squeezed, "I love you. I love you more than anything." She said, trying to convince him that she wasn't lying. But that wasn't necessary, he knew it was the truth regardless.

"Weiss." He said gently. "Are you sure this is what you want? As much as I don't want to, it is a real possibility I will hurt you again. I may break your heart by trying to protect you. I may eventually make you hate me."

She quickly shook her head, "You won't make me hate you. Because I know the mistakes you may make aren't to hurt me intentionally. They are just you trying to do the right thing." She lowered her hands, which were still holding his own, to her lap. She looked down sheepishly. "That is, if you still want me by your side again."

Jaune gently squeezed her hands and she looked back up to him. He gave her a small smile, "That's all I ever wanted. But...you're absolutely sure."

She smiled at him, "I am, my Knight."

His smile grew at hearing her call him that old nickname, "Than I have no problem returning that love, Snow Angel." She blushed but her smile didn't waver. She leant forward and kissed him again. This time, he had no problem kissing her back with another void in his heart being filled with love.


	20. Prelude to a New Adventure

Jaune's eyes slowly blinked open and he looked around the room he was in, confused. He looked around slowly to see that he had fallen asleep while sitting in his living room on one of the couches. He was about to get up when the weight in his lap registered in his mind. He looked down to see that Weiss was asleep in his lap, her head pressed against his chest and her arms around his form. She looked so content with a small smile on her lips. The two must've dosed off after everything that had happened earlier in the morning.

Between him waking up and looking around, he must've moved enough to tell her he was awake. He felt her arms tighten around him a bit more and she spoke up, "Not yet." She spoke up. "Let's stay like this a little longer."

He just smiled and hugged her close to him, "Did I wake you?"

"No. I didn't fall asleep. You nodded off maybe twenty minutes ago and I just wanted to be close to you." She explained.

He had a sheepish smile with that, "Sorry about that. I didn't plan on falling asleep like that."

She shook her head before looking up at him, "Don't worry about it, Jaune. You've been pushing yourself very hard over the last few weeks. Making sure if there is a chance that a Drake will appear around Vale or not, giving out as much information you can to the other Academies and Kingdoms, helping Yang to control her new abilities and even pushing yourself in mastering your Semblance again. You've been doing so much and need to rest every once in a while."

Jaune just looked into her eyes and gave a weak chuckle, "I guess I have been spreading myself thin lately."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, "I would say more than lately. But now that we are back together, I will be sure to make it so you won't be doing it anymore."

Jaune couldn't help but smirk at her, "Aren't you technically skipping class right now?"

She blushed faintly and broke eye contact, snuggling into his chest again, "This is more important right now."

He just chuckled before he leant down and placed a kiss on the top of her head, "Love you too, Snow Angel." And since it looked like he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon, not that he was complaining about it, he turned on the television across from them and started to look for something the two of them would enjoy. While Weiss just stay snuggled up to him to make up for lost time.

As the couple sat there, both of their scrolls started to go off. It was the rest of their group asking them where Weiss was. Jaune answered them, telling them that Weiss had a bit of a problem with her father and she was now just trying to relax and move past it at his place. Hearing that her father was causing her more trouble infuriated the rest of her team. Jaune luckily got them to calm down when he sent them the video of himself sending Jacques flying back into his airship with an air blast. And since he was already doing that, he decided to send it to his old team and Neo as well. The laughs and response she got from them all was totally worth it.

Jaune eventually found one of the movies from the popular superhero series that had been going on for the last few years on and he knew that Weiss was a big fan of them, not that anyone outside of their circle of friends would know that. When he left it on, he felt her hug him a bit more tightly. As it started, he heard her mutter, "Popcorn would be good right now." He knew she wasn't asking him to get it for her. Hell, he barely heard her say it over the movie. But he was going to make some regardless just to make her happy. And he agreed that it would nice to have some.

He placed his hand on her waist to try to move her onto the couch properly. But as he just barely moved her, she held him tighter and turned back to him, "What are you doing?"

"I was going to make us some popcorn." He told her honestly.

"No." she said simply before she snuggled into him again. "I'm not letting go."

Jaune chuckled, "You're starting to sound like Ruby now."

She shrugged, "Then she would agree with me then. I'm not letting go." She said simply and a hint of finality to it.

He just sighed, "Fine." Before she could bask in her victory, his left arm went around her back and his right hooked under legs before he stood up from the couch. She gave a tiny yelp at that and held onto him tighter, out of the slight fear that he may drop her. He just took it in stride and walked into the kitchen.

"What are you doing now?" she asked him once she was sure she wasn't going to end up on the floor.

He shrugged as he reached up into the cabinet with his left hand, "Well since you wanna act like Ruby, I'm just going to treat you like her." He pulled out a few bags of popcorn and placed one in the microwave to pop it. "Which mean, that I'm going to do what I had planned on while carrying you. But this is a bit more difficult since Ruby usually hangs off my back. So, I'm down an arm." He then reached into another cabinet and pulled out a massive bowl for all the popcorn when it was done.

She huffed, "I told you that you didn't need to make popcorn. And if I'm such an inconvenience, you can put me down." Before she tried to get out of his arms, he leant down and captured her lips with his own. She stared wide eyed before she quickly melted into his arms.

He then pulled back with a grin on his lips, "Plus, If I'm gonna carry you like Ruby, that means you're entitled to a few kisses as well." That just earned him a faint blush to the snow princess' cheeks. That was when the microwave sounded out and alerted them to the first bag being finished.

He then skillfully removed the popcorn and replaced it with a new bag before resetting the timer. He then opened the bag and poured the contents into the bowl and threw it away after he was done. Meanwhile, that entire time, Weiss just hid her flushed face into his chest. She eventually turned her head enough for her to say one thing quietly, "Dolt." He just smiled and went about finishing off their snack for the movie. Then the couple settled back into the couch to watch their movie with the appropriate snack now.

The two just enjoyed the first movie that kicked off the entire movie series, which was Weiss' personal favorite. When it was done, they were shocked to hear that the sequel was going to be on next. With that, the two got off the couch to get more popcorn and drinks for obvious reasons. They got back to the couch just as it was beginning. And Weiss retook her seat on her boyfriend's lap and started to eat the fresh popcorn. Honestly, both considered this to be a great first date since getting back together.

When the movie was about to come to an end, that was when the door was opened up and Ruby rushed in, worried for her partner. The rest of her team and the new JNPR walked in not long after and all just stared in shock at how the two were sitting. Weiss was just frozen in place as Jaune just looked on. There was just a stare off until a huge smile erupted onto Ruby's face and she threw her arms into the air, "Finally! You two took forever!"

"W-what?" Weiss asked, having trouble processing what was going on.

Yang just planted her fist against her hip as she cocked her head to the side with her usual smirk, "We all knew you still loved the big lug. We were just waiting for your pride to finally give out."

Blake nodded slowly with her own teasing smile, "It was really obvious, Weiss."

"Yeah!" Nora added. "We were going to start a pool to see when you finally did but Ren said it wouldn't be nice to." She pouted at the end of that.

Ren just placed a hand on her shoulder, "It wouldn't have been, Nora." He then turned to Weiss with a small smile of his own but more genuine than Blake's. "But congratulations all the same."

Pyrrha nodded with a genuine smile but a mischievous look in her eyes, "It is nice to see you two together. As weird as it sounds, it was strange to not see you two together."

Neo just gave them a mischievous smirk and gave them a thumbs up. With that, Weiss blushed so hard that she look like an exact replica off a cherry before she buried her face into Jaune's chest. That made them all chuckle a bit but Jaune just held her close and gently rubbed her back to calm her down. But overall, none of them would have it any other way.

* * *

A couple more days had passed and Jaune, dressed as Rien, was slowly making his way through Beacon to get to the central tower. Ozpin had called him not long ago and had asked him to come see him as soon as he could. The grounds were pretty empty considering all the morning classes were going on, keeping the bulk of the students and the professors occupied. So Jaune arrived at the elevator rather quickly with no incident.

As the doors closed and he started to rise up, he condensed his mask and pulled the glasses from his face while lowering his hood. He knew that if there was anyone else in Ozpin's office at the time, he would've given him proper warning when he called. So, either Ozpin was currently alone or anyone else their already knew of his identity.

The elevator eventually opened to reveal that Ozpin was indeed alone at his desk, doing some paperwork. He looked up to see Jaune standing there and he gave a quick smile, "Glad to see you, Jaune." He pointed to the side of his office where his coffee maker was, "Help yourself."

Jaune just grinned back, "Thanks, Oz." He said genuinely. He then went over to prepare his coffee while Oz went back to his paperwork. When his mug was filled, he took a sip from it with a sigh before he made his way over to the chair sat across from Oz. He took it and another sip of his coffee before he spoke up, "So, what's going on? What do you need from me?"

Ozpin just smiled as he went about finishing his paperwork, "I wanted to give you an update on the Drake situation at the other three Kingdoms since it's because of you that they were stopped in the first place." He took a quick pause before he continued. "Two of them had popped up over the last few months in Atlas. Luckily, to their army and James having his top specialists, the Ace Ops I believe he calls them, they were dealt with relatively quickly with no casualties."

"Which variety were the Drakes?" Jaune asked as he took another sip of his coffee.

"One of each. The Inferior version showed up more recently." Jaune just nodded so Ozpin continued. "Another Superior Drake showed up in the deserts of Vacuo. Shade was informed of it and Theodore was able to organize enough of the Huntsmen to take it down. By sheer luck, they managed to subdue the Grimm before it could evolve further. It was drawing a large amount of Grimm to the area they found it at. Regrettably, they lost a quite a few Huntsmen."

Jaune nodded solemnly and waited for the Headmaster to continue. The man eventually did after he sighed sadly, "Leo has informed me that they had come across an Inferior Drake a month or so ago. They were able to destroy it but at a high cost. Many Huntsmen didn't come out of it." Both fell into a silence out of respect. Neither really liked the thought of it but having Drakes running around was very dangerous. More so if they kept pushing their evolution.

Jaune drank some more of his coffee as Ozpin continued with his paperwork as they just let the silence fill the room. Eventually, Jaune to ask his next big question, "No Dracos?"

Ozpin shook his head as he finally finished his work, "I've heard nothing from any of the others, not even Qrow. Either we are getting lucky and have been putting a stop to the Drakes before they can take on their more powerful forms or they are staying under the radar."

"Probably a bit of both." Jaune leant back and gently rubbed his forehead. "The Dracos are intelligent and want nothing else but to continue their evolution. They do need a lot of aura to achieve their next stage, that'll draw them to the Kingdoms and more specifically, the Academies to try to do that. Eventually."

"I'm guessing you got that impression from your time being merged with that Draco?" Ozpin asked as he just observed him. Jaune just nodded as he took another sip from his mug. "And your recovery?"

Jaune shrugged, "As far as I can tell, I'm back to a hundred percent. I don't feel anything wrong physically and I've had no problem using my Semblance, Void included." He then tilted his head with a quirked eyebrow, "Why the sudden interest, Oz?"

"Is it wrong to worry about the health of an old student and one of my best Hunters?" he responded coyly. Jaune just gave him a very blank stare as his answer. Ozpin chuckled before taking a drink from his own coffee, "Fine, I do have a mission that I wanted to send you on. But I wanted to be sure you had recovered enough to go on it."

"Could just ask outright instead of beating around the bush." Jaune said with a smirk as he sat forward, "So, what's this mission entail?"

"Well, thanks to your help, we've been able to get the information of the Drakes and Dracos into the right hands in the four Kingdoms. But, there is still one place that is still in the dark. Menagerie." Ozpin explained.

He just looked at his boss in confusion, "I thought you sent information out to them at the same time you sent the information to the Academies?"

Ozpin nodded, "I did. But the message never reached them. Same for any other message I sent. And it's hard to send anything through the CCT to them because of how weak the signals are out there."

Jaune was starting to see where this was going, "So you want me to do it then. You know I can handle myself well and because I'm the leading expert on them, I can give them the information properly." He then smirked, "Plus, unlike Qrow, I have nothing better to do."

Ozpin smirked back, "Right on all accounts. And with your view on Faunus, it might be easier for you to get along with local inhabitants easier. Although, I would suggest you bring a guide with you. It may make things go smoother."

Jaune nodded, "That I will. I'll look into that right away."

"Actually, you already know of a more than suitable guide, Jaune." Ozpin said with a smirk as he drank more of his coffee. Jaune just looked at him expectantly, not entirely sure on where he was going with this, "Miss Belladonna."

Jaune's eyes widened for a second before they narrowed, "Her parents live on the island, don't they?"

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, "An astute observation. How did you figure that out?"

Jaune started to rub his forehead gain, "Because you're an Oum damned schemer, Oz." That made the older man chuckle and Jaune just sighed, "Fine. I'll talk to her and try to get her to patch things up with her parents. She's going to miss a few weeks of schoolwork, minimum, though."

Ozpin nodded with that same small smile on his lips, "I've already started to explain the situation to the professors. They will give her indefinite extensions on any assignments and I have it on good authority that Miss Schnee will be able to give her the notes she misses."

Jaune just sighed again, knowing he wasn't going to get out of this. "Fine. I'll talk to her and try to get her to agree to it." He quickly drank the rest of his coffee and placed the mug on Ozpin's desk. "If that is everything, I will let myself out." He then stood up and walked into the elevator to leave the office.

He sighed one more time as he leant his back into the elevator. "So, not only do I have to convince Blake to come with me, but I have to tell the other's that they can't tag along." He groaned, "Ruby, Nora and Neo are gonna pitch the biggest fit."

* * *

Jaune sent a message to his girlfriends and step siblings asking them to meet up with him at his place when they were done with classes. They all agreed but when they asked what for, he wouldn't elaborate.

Jaune spent the rest of his day training his Semblance again. But this time, with a specific element: water. As much as he knew how useful it could be with the level of control he had over it, he felt that he could do more with it. That thing being phase changing. Out of all the materials on Remnant, water was the easiest to solidify and vaporize. Plus, he already had a lot of experience manipulating ice and steam because of his Advance Elements. He had to just figure out the _how_.

That was a lot easier said than done. He would sit in a meditative position with his water Semblance active. He would then pull enough water from the air to form a basketball sized orb of water between his hands. For a while, every time he tried to freeze or boil the water he was manipulating, his body reflexively tried to tap into his wind or fire Semblance respectively. That would cause a good amount of pain to erupt through him and cause him to drop the water to the ground.

After the fifth or sixth failure, he wasn't keeping track, Jaune took another breath to center himself before he took some time to think over the problem. It was actually his training sessions with Yang that gave him a potential solution and what did he really have to lose by trying it. He tapped into his water Semblance once again before slowly drawing the same amount of water from the air. He then closed his eyes to focus.

He started to remember every time he used his ice Advance Element. How cold to the touch he would feel. How his body would shake like crazy. How every breath he let out would just be a mist. How that chill seemed to sink through his skin and muscle, all the way down to the bone. He could almost feel himself shaking now and he knew he was on the right track.

He slowly focused that sheer coldness down both of his arms to his hands and he could feel it clearly, like two ice cold streams of water flowing down them. He could now feel all the frigidness in his palms. He started to send his aura to them, pushing it and the cold into the water still floating between his open hands. Through his Semblance, he could just tell the water was growing colder and colder but it still didn't freeze. His body was constantly shaking from strain and the cold he was feeling, whether it was just mentally or not, he wasn't sure.

He could tell that he was close but he was still missing something. Something that was key to this working. On a guess, he focused on the significantly colder water orb and tried to condense it. With that, the coldness seemed to increase beyond what it was just a few seconds before and he could also feel that the water was different now. He slowly opened his eyes to see a smaller ball of ice now floating between his hands now.

Jaune couldn't help the satisfied smirk that stretched across his lips, "Well, looks like I figured it out. Now I just have to cut down of the freezing time and concentration." His smirk disappeared as he gave a light sigh, "Now I need to figure out how to turn ice back into water then into steam and back…" A tiny smile stretched across his face, "Just like old times."

He held the ice ball in his left hand as he pulled out his scroll. "Have about an hour or so until they get out of class. Should probably head back." He stood up and pocketed his scroll. A she was walking back; he would focus on having the ice ball revolve around or bounce between his hands with his Semblance. The manipulation of ice was a bit more rigid than water was and it was best for him to get used to it. Or at least build up a little practice before he tried to use it in an actual fight.

Once he was close to his temporary home, he whipped his arm to the side and sent the ice ball hurdling towards a nearby tree. It shattered from the impact but Jaune was shocked to see that some of the bark had cracked from the force behind it. Jaune just raised an eyebrow, "Huh. That gives me a few ideas." With that, he walked into his place.

As soon as he was in and had his boots and cloak off, he made his way to the kitchen. That's when he started to get a few light snacks and drinks ready for everyone when they arrived. Halfway through he stopped, "When the hell did I turn into my mother?" He could clearly remember the times he was younger and his mother had snacks ready for himself and his sisters after their day at school was done. He then gained a small but melancholy smile, "When was the last time I thought of that? Wonder how they are all doing?"

He was pulled from those thoughts when he heard his door open and his step-sister shout, "We're home!" That instantly put a smile on his face and a small chuckle escaped him. "Jaune? Are you here?" she asked out loud.

"I'm in the kitchen, Nora!" he told her and the next thing he heard were the clear sounds of her footfalls getting closer. She then burst into the room and slid to a stop across from him at the island. He just grinned at her, "Hey. Mind bringing this in for me." He motioned to the platter of cut fruit and vegetables.

She gave him a salute, "On it, Big Brother!" She then picked it up and went back into the living room. With her taking care of that, he quickly went about cleaning the knife he used and the island before he walked into the living room, carrying a tray with glasses and a pitcher of iced tea. He set it down and saw all eight of them enjoying their snack. Ruby was especially loving the strawberries and Nora the little baby carrots. As he was setting down the drinks, Blake started to talk to him, "So, Jaune, why did you want us all to come over?"

Jaune sighed to himself as he stood up and everyone looked at him. He started to rub the back of his neck, "Well, I went to see Oz and he gave me my next mission." That gave him their undivided attention. "Apparently, Oz has had problems distributing the information on the Drakes and Dracos to a specific area. And since I am the leading expert on them, along with having a pretty open schedule recently, he wants me to travel there to give the information directly."

Pyrrha nodded, "I guess that makes sense. Where will you be going?" She asked as she bit into another stick of celery.

"Menagerie." Jaune said and instantly, Blake started to cough on her drink. Yang patted her back and the Faunus was able to breathe again. She just stared at him in shock and he nodded sheepishly. "And that's not all. Ozpin wants me to take you along, Blake."

Her eyes went wide with that and her ear pinned back against her head as she just stared at her boyfriend. That is when the room exploded into a million questions from everyone there, minus Ren and Neo. Ren was trying to calm down his girlfriend, who was not the slightest bit happy about being left out. Meanwhile, Neo was staring Jaune down. She was absolutely livid about him leaving her behind on another mission of his. That caused him to groan while running a hand down his face, "Oz, I really hate you sometimes."

* * *

 **A/N- Sorry this took me so long to put out. This whole thing was a lot harder to write than it should've been but it's here now. And next will be the TES/TVS version of Blake's trip to Menagerie, that is gonna be fun. The Beat Reader was the one and only, Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh. Go check him out an dif you already have, do it again. And I'll see you all in the next update!**


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